Paleo in PDX

With warm weather, sunny days and a muggy house, I find myself craving cold foods and meals that are crisp and refreshing. I also try to limit firing up the stove or oven as much as possible to reduce adding any more heat to the house. It’d be ideal to have a grill, even a little Hibachi, but we don’t — at least not yet (to all my family members that read my blog, this would make a great Christmas or birthday gift sometime!).

The other day, when the temperature was in the 90s, I made up my mind that we were having steak salad for dinner. I really wanted to try skirt steak and thought it’d be a simple way to give it a go. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever had skirt steak … maybe at some point when I was growing up, but I wouldn’t have known it (Mom, did you ever make skirt steak?). Then I was vegetarian for about 10 years, so if I have had it, it’s been well over a decade.

I took inspiration from Mark Sisson’s, zesty steak salad recipe in his cookbook, Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals, but changed it a bit based on what I had available and the flavor I was going for. It turned out delicious and extremely satisfying. I loved the skirt steak too … it is SO flavorful!

Ingredients:

• 1 small head green leaf lettuce, sliced into bite-sized leaves
• 1/2 C grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/2 an avocado, sliced
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil, plus 1/2 tsp for steak
• 1/2-1 tsp Dijon mustard, plus 1 Tbsp for steak
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/8 tsp raw honey
• 1/2 lb skirt steak (flank steak or top round sirloin will work too)

Directions:

1. Wash lettuce, tomatoes and parsley in salad spinner and spin dry.
2. Slice or tear lettuce leaves and add to a bowl. Slice tomatoes and avocado and add to lettuce. Chop parsley and set aside.
3. For the parsley vinaigrette, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, 1/2-1 tsp Dijon mustard, honey and salt and pepper to taste. Add in chopped parsley and mix well. Drizzle over lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado.
4. Smear 1 Tbsp of mustard plus 1/2 tsp olive oil over both sides of the steak. Salt the steak lightly and sear in a pan over very high heat, or grill on high. It should only take a few minutes on each side (I did 3 minutes per side and it came out medium-well). Remove from heat and thinly slice. Combine with lettuce. Season with black pepper if desired.

Yields: 2 entree-sized servings