Black & Blue Steak Salad

My favorite thing about making salads is that you can adapt and alter recipes based on what you have in your kitchen. I love tossing a bunch of fresh vegetables in a bowl, drizzled with some good olive oil and vinegar and making a meal out of it. Artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and kalamata olives are among some favorite salad additions that I always keep on hand in my kitchen. 

Salad number two is simple but has serious restaurant quality. Marinated flank steak on top of a simple salad with a small chunk of gorgonzola on the side is just so good. We love flank steak! It's super lean and soaks in tons of flavor when marinated. Cooking Light's Maple and Soy Glazed Flank Steak is my favorite way to cook flank steak. I have tried many other marinades and I always go back to this one. 

This flank steak is so delicious on its own, so I kept the base of the salad simple; romaine, baby spinach, grape tomatoes and artichoke hearts. I sauteed some mushrooms at the last minute and they made a perfect addition. A quick drizzle of dijon vinaigrette and some gorgonzola on the side, and we were good to go!

Salad number two in the books!

Black & Blue Steak Salad

Steak-

One 1 lb. flank steak (trimmed)

3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

3 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 Tbsp. sake or dry sherry

2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil

1 tsp. Sriracha sauce

1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Salad-

romaine, chopped

baby spinach

grape tomatoes, quartered

artichoke hearts, quartered

sweet onion, thinly sliced

mushrooms, sauteed

gorgonzola or blue cheese to garnish

Vinaigrette-

1/4 cup Pour Olive Dark Sesame Oil or 1/4 cup good olive oil

1 Tbsp. dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. Pour Olive Vermont Maple Balsamic or Balsamic Vinegar

salt + pepper, to taste

Pierce steak on both sides and place in a small baking dish. Place all marinade ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes or up to 8 hours in the fridge.

Preheat broiler. Remove steak from marinade and place on a broiler pan lined with foil. Broil on high for 5 minutes on each side. Place steak on cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut thin on a diagonal, against the grain.

Toss fresh salad ingredients with vinaigrette. Serve with sliced steak on top and gorgonzola or blue cheese on the side.