This salad is quite delicious, and it’s an easy, super flavorful way to get good, lean protein, Omega 3s, and fiber into your daily diet. And, if you’re trying to convert someone you love to the Ageless Diet™, a meat and potatoes person, this is a great way to introduce them to the joys of eating well and eating for an ageless mind, body, and spirit!
The beef we use in this recipe is 100% grass-fed. Grass-fed beef is part of an Ageless Diet™. Though, I highly recommend limiting your consumption of meat to less than 3 times a week, and when you do eat beef, make it grass-fed.
Why grass-fed only? Because it is higher in Omega 3 fatty acids than regular, grain-fed or grain-finished beef. It is rich in conjugated linoleic acid, beta carotene, iron, zinc and B vitamins. Grass-fed beef has less saturated fat than the grain-fed counterpart. And, grass-fed cattle are healthier, which means healthier beef. Pasture grazing is in keeping with their natural lifestyle and diet. They are less likely to be infected with disease, and less likely to pass that disease or infection onto you. Industrial farming does no one any favors, not the animals, not the plants, not the environment, and not you or your family. If you can bypass big agriculture, factory farming, and industrial beef production, do it. Your body and your planet will thank you.
As Jo Robinson puts it on her website, EatWild: “When you choose to eat meat, eggs, and dairy products from animals raised on pasture, you are improving the welfare of the animals, helping to put an end to environmental degradation, helping small-scale ranchers and farmers make a living from the land, helping to sustain rural communities, and giving your family the healthiest possible food. It’s a win-win-win-win situation.”
(And, it’s relatively easy to find grass-fed meat these days. Most grocery and health food stores carry grass-fed beef, pasture-raised eggs, chicken and turkey, and you can always check EatWild for more information about where to find and buy grass-fed beef and about pasture-raised farming.)
The vegetables in this salad are full of great nutrients, antioxidants, and they are anti-inflammatory. All this means for you is that the salad tastes better because of the fresh and grilled vegetables, and they contribute to an ageless looking and feeling you!
Steak Salad
Ingredients
(serves 4)
The Marinade for the Steak:
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (Cholula or Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce)
- Juice from 1/2 fresh lime
- 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
The Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos (or Nama Shoyu soy sauce)
The Salad:
- Sea salt, freshly ground pepper
- 6 organic crimini or shiitake mushrooms, grilled or roasted in the oven
- 1 organic carrot, finely diced
- 1 avocado, cut up in bite-sized chunks
- 1 organic red bell pepper, diced
- 1 organic yellow bell pepper, diced
- 3 organic stalks of celery, with leaves, finely diced
- (optional) 1 cup edamame, blanched
- 1 pound grass-fed hanger or skirt steak
- 1 organic head of lettuce, romaine or red leaf lettuce, chopped
Preparation
24-48 hours beforehand, marinate the steak. In a bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade, pour into a big freezer bag, over the steak. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to cook. The longer this marinates, the better. The best steak salad I had was last week, after the steak had marinated for two and a half days.
Toss the olive oil and vinegar with the other dressing ingredients in a big bowl; whisk together until all the dressing is creamy and emulsified. Set aside.
Chop all the vegetables for the salad.
Add the avocado chunks to the vinaigrette and gently stir, the avocado will break a little and make the dressing creamier.
Add the other vegetables to the bowl. Toss the ingredients in the vinaigrette.
Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Or cook in the (toaster) oven at 450 for about 5 minutes. Brush mushrooms with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning often, until seared, about 3-5 minutes; let cool. Cut in half for the salad.
Meanwhile, take the steak out of the marinading bag, dry off any excess liquid if there is any, and grill until medium-rare, 5–7 minutes per side for hanger steak, about 2 minutes per side for skirt steak. Let rest, then thinly slice against the grain.
Or if you are cooking in an oven, use a cast iron skillet, season with a little oil and put the skillet in the oven, on broil. When you are ready to cook the steak, take the skillet out of the hot oven, put on the burner at a very high heat, with a pair of tongs, place the meat in the very hot pan, cook on high heat for about 30 seconds on each side, then place it into the oven. Cook each side about 2 minutes – use very long tongs when flipping the steak, that oven is hot! Once it’s about medium rare, let it rest for at least 5 minutes. After it’s rested, thinly slice against the grain.
Toss the greens in with the other vegetables, top with the mushrooms and steak slices. Season with fresh cracked pepper.
Serve on a plate, making sure the steak and mushrooms are on top of the salad. Once served, each person can blend the steak and mushrooms in with the dressed salad.
I love this dish with a strong red wine.
