Howdy – happy Monday!
I hope your week got off to a better start than mine did. This afternoon my irrational luck with repeatedly locking my keys in my car joined forces with a growing talent for locking myself out of the house, as I successfully locked both my car AND house keys in the car before I made it to the front door when I went home over lunch.
D’OHHHHHHH!
A frozen phone call for help to Ben rendered the house unlocked and opened 30 toe-numbing minutes later…just in time to turn around and go back to work. Blerg!
Please Ma’am, no pictures. Happy to help.
Note to self: STOP DOING THINGS LIKE THIS also, place a spare house key somewhere other than on your car key ring because, let’s be real, you probably won’t stop doing things like this.
Please tell me I’m not the only one?!
In other news, if you don’t feel like going out tomorrow, I have an amazing recipe that will knock the heart-adorned socks off of you and your loved one(s) on Valentine’s Day – Grilled Thai Beef Salad with Crispy Shallots.
This salad recipe comes from Ellie Krieger, and is absolutely out of this world. Big, bold flavors like soy sauce and sesame oil combine with the sweet-earthy flavors of fresh basil and cilantro for a salad that won’t leave your husband cough making a peanut butter sandwich to fill up on afterwards.
That’s because it’s topped with RED MEAT! I feel like such a wretched Midwesterner – I don’t think I’ve had a good steak since last summer. This salad was far overdue, which made it taste even more delectable.
Grilled Thai Beef Salad is sexy and impressive, yet light and easy to prepare, leaving you with plenty of time to snuggle after dinner.
Start with a flank steak, which is not only lower in fat than other steak cuts, but is cheaper too. Marinate the steak in a sultry combination of fresh lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce or gluten-free tamari (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce) and ginger, then grill it at a very high heat for about 5 minutes a side.
I WISH I would have thought about making this during our stretch of 60 degree days a couple weeks ago, but since our grill is now under 6 inches of snow, my Griddler took over. After the steak is done, let it rest for 5-7 minutes before slicing it very thinly against the natural grain of the meat. This is important!
Resting the steak then cutting it thinly results in juicy, buttery, tender, melt-in-your-mouth slices.
What I loved the most about this salad though, were the sauteed shallots piled on top.
Just thinly slice a couple shallots, then saute them in olive oil until they’re golden brown and crispy. They are indescribably delicious.
Pile the shallots and beef atop a bed of baby spinach and romaine lettuce that’s been tossed with fresh basil, cilantro and a tangy Thai-inspired dressing, and dig in.
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Grilled Thai Beef Salad with Crispy Shallots
Description
Grilled Thai Beef Salad with Crispy Shallots is full of savory, bold flavors, making it absolutely mouthwatering.
Ingredients
- 3/4lb - 1lb flank steak
- 4 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce or gluten-free tamari (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce)
- 3 Tablespoons canola oil
- 2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and microplaned (or minced)
- 1-1/4 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce
- 1 bag Dole baby spinach
- 1 bag Dole Romaine lettuce
- 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup basil, roughly chopped
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 shallots, cut into thin rings
- 1 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, canola oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and chili-garlic sauce. Pour half the mixture into a ziplock bag. Add the steak and 2 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice to the bag and marinate for 4 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight. Add the remaining 1 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice to the remaining mixture and reserve to dress the salad.
- Heat a grill or grill pan to high, then spray with non-stick spray. Remove the steak from the marinade and grill for 5 minutes a side, or until cooked to your preferred level of doneness. Remove the steak to a plate, let it rest for 5-7 minutes, then slice it thinly against the grain.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add in shallots and saute, stirring often, until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- In a large bowl, combine the baby spinach, romaine lettuce, cilantro, basil, and tomatoes. Pour reserved salad dressing over and toss to coat. Divide salads among plates, top with steak slices, and crispy shallots.
Notes
Slightly adapted from Ellie Krieger
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Each bite is bursting with sweet & salty flavors, accented by pops of freshness from the herbs and juicy tomatoes.
You’ll both (assuming you both eat meat) fall in the love with the steak too. Flank steak never fails. Flank steak for president! Let me know if you try this!
You’re NOT the only one. When I bought my own place, I locked myself out after the first night I slept in my new place. Spent $60 on a locksmith. Then about one month later, I locked myself out from laying out on the balcony. Luckily, a friend was a phone call away. Then about a year later, I locked my car keys and house keys in my car on my way to class. No one else had house keys except my dad who lived about an hour away. Good thing I’m a daddy’s girl. Wow, that’s a long comment …but it’s def not you.
That is a gorgeous steak salad! Love it!
Kristin, I don’t know why you don’t get outside and grill! I grew up in Minneapolis and all winter long my Dad would go out through the snow to the gas grill to grill steaks or chicken. These days, I just have to brave the rain and wind in Seattle. :)
I know I am such a wimp when it comes to the snow and the cold. I hate it!
I am totally a person who needs to have a spare key hidden near her front door. It’s come in handy more than once. Also, this salad looks amazing! I see it on my menu for the week to come. Thanks!
Awesome photos! The bokeh in your photos awesome! What lens are you using? I am Nikon user, and I love my 50 MM 1.4 which gives that effect! Anyways, I always admire your food photos, always makes me super hungry! :)
The security officer at my high school and I were on a first name basis by the end of my senior year because I locked my keys in my car so many times. Imagine my shock the first time I locked my keys in my car at college and I had to pay for the service!
I have definitely done this before and it is the worst feeling! Thankfully, it was in the summer but still, nothing sucks more than being locked out of your house or car. Good thing you have a handsome man to rescue you!
That looks SO delicious! Great Valentine’s idea.
I made this tonight.
It was great. I would add another can of chicken broth because it was pretty thick. I also added some shredded carrots that were left over from another soup recipe.
Oh that looks awesome! Thanks for passing along!
If only my man loved steak! Haha I totally have one waiting for me for dinner tomorrow though!
This salad looks like JUST what the doctor ordered!!!!!! Gorgeous pics, too. Um, I locked myself outside with no keys to my house or car in the RAIN once. MY BOSS came to get me. UGH!
I am loving red meat these days (a pregnancy thing I think) so this salad is making my mouth water as we speak. Off to make some dinner of my own… too bad I don’t have any flank steak in the fridge!
Heart-shaped pizza… homemade… every year :)
I typically spend Valentine’s day being jealous of everybody. This is a mean day for singles to endure IMO.
The steak salad looks tasty.
Don’t feel bad, I’ve locked myself out of a running car! That’s pretty super.
Ohhhohoho nooo! I think I would have a panic attack if I did that. Yep.
With our wedding a little over 4 months away we’ve been in healthy eating mode/gym mode so for Valentine’s Day we’re taking the night off and going to our favorite sushi place and cracking open a bottle of sparkling pink muscato from Trader Joe’s! So excited!!!
We’re normally a pretty low key couple, but for Valentine’s Day it’s fun to dress up and go out.
This looks awesome by the way, pinning it so I can make it soon!
delicious! we have dinner plans tomorrow, but this will definitely be added to the recipe rotation. flank steak is one of my faves!
This looks so good! I haven’t had steak in a while either, so I’m also a bad midwesterner :-) And don’t worry – I have locked my keys in my car plenty of times! And lost my apartment key while I was running. And then freaked out that my apartment complex would charge me hundreds of dollars to change the lock, so I looked for the key for hours. And then my apartment charged me $5 :)
That salad looks too good. I LOVE shallots, too! Gahh, I’m gonna have to try this some time. :) Any time is perfect, since I’m young, single, and nobody has to worry about kissing me with stinky breath yet (except maybe my parents?) Lol, have a happy Valentine’s Day, though! :)
We always eat Chinese food :) for no other reason, than we love it, ate it a lot while dating, and try to limit our intake of it now.
Last post you mentioned doing prep for the weekly dinners on Sunday. I was wondering, what kind of prep do you do? I’m not sure what can be done in advance, and if it really saves a lot of time during the week? Just curious and thanks!
I will usually cut up veggies, make soup/any casseroles/dishes that can be made ahead of time, make salad dressings, etc. It saves So. Much. Time! I’ll try and show more on the blog any work that I’ve done ahead of time!
Looks delicious! Flank steak is the best! I usually make it in the summer with a chimichurri dressing. Wonder if this would get my hubs to eat salad?
P.S. How do you feel about the Griddler? I’ve been salivating over the commercials but I’m not sure about the cost.
LOVE IT. Love that you can make pancakes (the plates flip around for a smooth side) paninis, and grill, all with one machine. Although I haven’t used it lately (for whatever reason) I honestly use it so much more than I ever thought I would!
We always make each other homemade gifts in the morning. Then after work we make a more gourmet supper and dessert at home together, and just have the quality time together – no gym, no video games etc ;)