As many of us struggle to find a back to school routine, cut yourself a bit of slack and recognize how much easier it can be if you have a handful of quick, healthy, fun meal plans on hand to feed your family without having to stress about how to make it happen. In honor of everyone trying to keep juggling everything without skipping meals, we're featuring a few fast, healthy meals that can be assembled in about a half hour. And, if that's not enough, check out archives for the Weeknight Shorts features - simple meals that get you in and out of the kitchen quickly.
This time around, a hearty salad becomes the star of the show. Lest you think the words "hearty" and "salad" don't belong in the same sentence, imagine a beautiful salad boasting some of the season's finest produce with a crown of sliced grilled steak and a brightly-colored, brightly flavored sauce making it all the more mouth watering.
Chimichurri sauce is a fantastic fresh sauce brought together in a food processor that features garden fresh parsley, pungent garlic, and a bevy of pantry staples that will have you looking to it to add color and flavor to all manner of meals at all times of the year -- assuming your kitchen garden features parsley!
This salad really is a meal on its own, though you may wish to have some breadsticks or rolls on the side to sop up the juices left on your plate. Grilled steak, chimichurri, and garden tomatoes make their own masterpiece that is not to be missed! Enjoy.
Grilled Steak Chimichurri Salad
- 1 cup packed fresh parsley
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ c. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp. dried oregano
- 1 T. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 (7-10 oz.) sirloin steak
- 1 T. olive oil
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 8 oz. green beans, ends snipped
- 10 oz. kale, chopped
- ½ c. shredded carrots
- ½ small onion, sliced thinly
- 2 c. mixed sliced tomatoes
To make the chimichurri, combine all of the chimichurri ingredients in a food processor and pulse on low until a finely chopped green chunky paste forms. Taste and adjust seasonings before setting aside.
To make the rest of the salad, rub the steak with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Prepare a medium-high grill and allow the steak to sear on a cast iron skillet or griddle preheated on the grill. I like to cook my steak for about 3-4 minutes per side. Halfway through cooking, add the green beans to the pan/griddle and allow to char slightly alongside the steak. Remove both the steak and beans to a cutting board to rest.
Place the kale in a bowl and add a tablespoon or two of the chimichurri sauce. Using your hands, massage the kale with the sauce. The kale should soften a bit and turn a much brighter green. Arrange the kale on 4 serving plates. Arrange the shredded carrots and thinly sliced onion on one side of each plate and the sliced tomatoes on the other side.
Using a sharp knife, slice the steak and arrange it and the charred green beans between the tomatoes and carrots on each plate. Finish each salad with a generous drizzling of the chimichurri sauce over the sliced steak. Serve immediately.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes