Bridesmaids Dresses and Salads Dressed

While Dallas lounged by the fire,

and Larry tried to get Lucy to give kisses (She’s very particular about who she kisses. He was trying to blow candy breath in her face, which usually works, but not tonight),

I was making a masterpiece of a salad.

(Source)

Although our salad did not turn out as beautiful as the one above, I’m pretty confident that it tasted just about the same

I found this recipe in a Shape Magazine a few months back. It was adapted from the Beach House at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua in Maui, Hawaii (1 Ritz-Cartlon Drive, www.ritzcarlton.com).

I only made three changes to the recipe. 1) I used agave nectar instead of sugar in the dressing. 2) I marinated and grilled a portabella mushroom for me along with a steak for Larry. 3) I did not using dressing on the mushroom version of this salad, because the grilled mushroom was so juicy that it provided its own “dressing.”

Sesame steak salad

Serves: 4 (Serving size: 2 ½ cups salad mixture, 4 oz. steak)

Prep Time: 45 minutesCook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Nutrition Score per serving:

381 calories, 21 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 19 g carbs, 29 g protein, 3 g fiber, 88 mg calcium, 4 mg iron, 782 mg sodium

Ingredients

For marinade and steak

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon thinly sliced green onion

1/8 teaspoon pepper

16-ounce flank steak

For dressing

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon chile flakes

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons canola oil

For salad

8 cups baby spinach

3/4 cup diced papaya

1/4 cup julienned radicchio

1/4 cup julienned carrots

2 tablespoons daikon sprouts

2 tablespoons julienned red pepper

2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon cilantro

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, sugar, ginger, sesame oil, cilantro, garlic, green onion, and pepper. Put mixture and steak in a zip top plastic bag; refrigerate 45 minutes, turning once or twice.

Meanwhile, to make dressing, heat water and sugar on the stove until reaches a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in lime juice, oyster sauce, lemon juice, chile flakes, and garlic. Whisk in oil; set aside.

Preheat grill or grill pan. Grill steak for 2 minutes per side for medium rare.

In a large bowl, combine spinach, papaya, radicchio, carrots, daikon sprouts, red pepper, peanuts, mint, and cilantro. Toss with dressing. Place 2 1/2 cups of salad mixture onto four plates. Slice steak thinly on the diagonal and divide the slices evenly between each salad. (Source)