Grilled Steak Salad (with Bleu Cheese Vinaigrette)

This week's recipe, Grilled Steak Salad, was inspired by the perfect weather we are finally having in New England. As a girl who grew up in Texas, I welcomed the milder, shorter summers when I first moved to Boston. But after living here for five years and spending this past winter cooped up inside with our new baby, Mia, I found myself dreaming of the hot sun, flip flops, sunscreen, and warm skin.

Cut to summer. It is the end of June, and it finally looks like good weather is upon us. For my husband, Kevin, and me, that means getting out on the grill and eating all of our meals on the deck.

What to cook? When creating this recipe, I was attempting to "summerize" my go-to meal at my favorite restaurant: Abe and Louie's salad and a nice steak (not to mention a good bottle of red wine). That's what inspired this recipe. It received rave reviews from Kevin, and I think the bleu cheese vinaigrette could be my signature dressing:

Grilled Steak Salad

Servings: 2

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 + 2 tablespoons crumbled bleu cheese
½ pound top loin (strip) steak, visible fat removed
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 cups romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
2 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ small red onion, chopped

1. Prepare vinaigrette by whisking together mustard, vinegar, oil, 2 tablespoons bleu cheese, and pepper. Set aside.
2. Prepare outdoor or indoor grill.
3. Season steak with salt and pepper, and grill 4-6 minutes per side, depending on thickness of steak and desired degree of doneness. Let cool slightly then slice into ½-inch strips.
4. Toss together lettuce, tomatoes, and red onion. Arrange steak slices on top of salad, drizzle with vinaigrette, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons bleu cheese.

Nutrition Information
(For ½ of recipe) 440 calories; 8 g carbohydrate; 39 g protein; 28 g fat (8.5 g sat); 3 g fiber; 385 mg sodium. Exchanges: 4 fats; 3.5 vegetables; 3 lean meats.

Serving suggestion: Warm dinner rolls or breadsticks.

--posted by Krisha--