Steak Salad

It is no secret that I love the Farmer’s Market.  The small town that I live in has a very small one once a week that while tiny, fulfills most of my market needs.  Above all else, I love to support the local businesses and if I can, try and purchase something from each of them.  There are always at least two vendors there that have a decent range of fruits and vegetables and Sager Farms has kept our family in peaches every summer for years!  The variety is limited compared to the huge market we go to in Urbana, but totally worth it.  For Christmas, my sister-in-law got me this cookbook and I have been pouring over the recipes, advice, and stunning photographs.  Because of the heat and drought in this part of the country, our garden is toast.  Literally.  So I have been relying on the markets to stock up on green beans, peaches, plums, and zucchini to puree and freeze for baby food, and eventually I will freeze butternut squash, pumpkin, pears, and apples as they come in to season.  But more on that later.  Also, like most people, I have been purchasing tomatoes like crazy.  The basil in our garden is surviving so, because I love variety in my food, I like to mix things up.  This has been our menu the past week:

Sunday: Chicken Teriyaki, Garlic Brown Rice, steamed vegetables
Monday: Baja Fish Tacos-Everytime I make these, my family goes bonkers.  Seriously good.
Tuesday: Baked Pasta W/Summer Veggies and a quick salad with vinaigrette-I used a local goat cheese ricotta this time-AWESOME!
Wednesday: Sausage & Mushroom Pizza with this pizza dough that I froze months ago
Thursday: Tomato & Basil Salmon, whole wheat cous cous, Zucchini & Corn W/Basil
Friday: Burgers or Carne Asada and S’Mores if it isn’t too hot or if it doesn’t rain-GO USA!!
Saturday: Company for dinner!  Not sure of the menu but I think I am going to make Caramelized Onion Dip, Sun-Dried Tomato Dip, Grilled Yogurt Chicken, Panzanella Salad, my favorite fruit mix, White Sangria, Strawberry Lemonade and…I don’t know what else!
Sunday: I have no clue.  I will probably be cleaning out the fridge and finishing the leftover Keebler Cracker Bars I made for a recent play date.

The Summer Pasta with Veggies was our vegetarian dish for the week and we ended up having fish twice.  Never a bad thing, right?!  Yum.  Today’s recipe is so perfect for the summer and slips in to this weeks line-up because even though it centers around beef (As I wish all my meals could.  What can I say? I am a carnivore! Grrr!), the main player in the meal is veggies.  It is a nice, light meal that is adaptable, fast, doesn’t heat up the house, is good for you, and takes advantage of all that produce!  And even though you can of course use any kind of salad dressing you want, there is something really perfect about a fresh, cool, tangy ranch on warm, smokey, earthy steak.  A stellar combination to be sure.  The only thing missing from the above picture is fresh sliced mushrooms.  I had them, and then ate them all when I made a Fried Rice Scramble.  I also had planned to add cucumbers, but the kids finished them earlier that day at lunch time.  So use your imagination and add those two items to the salad and then you have the perfect steak salad.

What are YOU making with your Farmer’s Market loot?
One Year Ago: Zucchini W/Corn & Basil, & Chocolate Chip Cherry Snack Cake
Two Years Ago: California Chopped Salad

Simple Steak Salad W/Homemade Ranch
One good steak for every two people seems to be the perfect ratio.  I like it simple and classic, but feel free to use your favorite rub or marinade on the meat.  Recipe for Homemade Ranch soon to come!

2 T-Bone or New York Strip steaks, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper
lettuce, spring mix, fresh spinach, or a combination of greens
tomatoes
hard boiled eggs
sliced mushrooms
sliced cucumbers
ranch dressing

Grill the steaks until medium rare and let rest while you assemble the salads.  Slice the steaks, one half for each person and top the salads.  Drizzle with ranch dressing and enjoy!