My Pantry Shelf

At least once a week we opt for a dinner salad.  Tired from a long day of work or summertime adventures as it may be, dinner can be on the table in minutes with just a bit of forethought.  Our secret… grill enough meat on the weekend to have hearty leftovers.  Perhaps it is a breast of chicken spared from our ravenous tots or a generous morsel of salmon craftily hidden from my husband’s lunch, or as the case was last weekend, a nice piece of hanger steak.  Steak salad takes on endless incarnations, but this is one of our favorites from Sunset magazine years ago.

Thai-Style Steak Salad bursts with flavor from a mixture of fresh herbs, crunchy vegetables, salty peanuts, and a tangy dressing.  Using leftover grilled meat makes it a cinch to pull together, but you could certainly grill up a steak for the occasion.  The dressing is super light and oil free helping this dinner balance out the indulgences of the weekend.  The chili garlic sauce is spicy so adjust the amount to your own taste.

Thai-Style Steak Salad

adapted from Sunset Magazine

serves 2

4 cups salad greens

1/2 cup each fresh mint, cilantro, and basil- roughly chopped

1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1/2 of a medium cucumber, halved and cut into thin half-moons

 1/2 cup thinly sliced jicama

3/4 pound sliced, cooked steak, preferably grilled

2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

the dressing

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1/2-1 teaspoon Asian chili garlic sauce

Toss the lettuce, herbs, and vegetables.  Arrange the salad on two plates.  Lay the sliced steak atop the green mixture.  Scatter the peanuts over the top.  Mix together the dressing ingredients.  Drizzle the dressing over the top of the salad.

Print this recipe:  Thai-style Steak Salad

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