I could not decide what to make for dinner last night so I began perusing the local grocery store ads to see what was on sale. There were good prices on bell peppers, vine ripe tomatoes and Hass avocados. I decided with some nice produce and a beautiful warm sunny day, a salad would be perfect. Since I always have to think about meeting the caloric needs of our sons, I decided to make it a steak salad. I love different textures and flavors so I added some other fun ingredients as well. I use beans in many of my recipes because of their nutritional value. See the article, link below, for Garbanzo beans in particular:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=58
Steak Marinade
1.5 – 2 lb flank steak
3 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs sesame oil
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 tsp chili oil
1 Tbs rice vinegar
1 Tbs lime juice
1 tsp red pepper flakes
6 cloves of chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all of the above ingredients in a mixing bowl
Lay out steak on a cutting board and make cross hatch cuts across both sides then place flat in a pan. Pour marinade over steak, cover and refrigerate. Marinade about 6 hours, turning the steak occasionally
Salad
¼ – ½ each of a red, orange and yellow bell pepper, diced medinm
1 large tomato diced medium
10 radishes diced medium
1 large or 2 small avocados diced medium
½ small Vidalia onion, diced medium (Walla Walla’s would be good but were not available)
1 – 15 oz can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
1 head green leaf lettuce torn into bite size pieces
Combine all of the above in a salad bowl.
(When I was cutting up the salad and only had the onions, tomatoes and radishes in the bowl, I was tempted to put some balsamic vinegar and oil on it and call it good. I think that would be a great recipe all by itself!)
Dressing
5 Tbs s oil (we always use very light olive oil)
1 Tbs sesame oil
2 Tbs rice vinegar
1 – 2 Tbs wasabi powder
1 Tbs honey
Dash cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all of the above ingredients and then adjust any of them to your taste.
Grill the steak to your liking (instant read thermometer is the easiest way to get it right). When it’s done to your preference, remove from heat and let it rest for 5 or 10 minutes. I’ve found that grilling the steak to medium rare at its thickest point helps to provide a variety of doneness for my picky critics. Slice into thin bite-size strips.
Put dressing on salad and mix well. Serve on individual plates or in bowls and place steak pieces on top.
Now take this light summer meal out onto your patio or deck and enjoy!