Steak Salad with Lemon Tarragon Vinaigrette
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Salads often fall under the realm of starters or sides. They’re used as filler to tide you over until the main event arrives, or they simply take up a tiny section of plate real estate next to something way more exciting. But this steak salad recipe is anything but a meal’s supporting character.
By swapping boring, tasteless iceberg lettuce in favor of a tender, flavorful spinach base and topping it with sliced, grilled steak and a homemade dressing, you’ve got yourself a hearty, satisfying meal that’s perfect for lunch or dinner.
This steak salad makes our list of favorite recipes to fuel your Tough Mudder training thanks to its balance of 32 grams of muscle-building protein and 27 grams of energizing carbohydrates. As your exercise intensity and duration increases, your need for carbohydrates does, too. And all that protein helps muscles repair, recover, and grow.
Baby spinach makes up the base of this salad, and it also has plenty good stuff going for it. It’s considered a functional food because of its diverse nutritional composition. In other words, it’s got loads of vitamins and minerals and phytonutrients
And to round out this steak salad, we add in a few other veggies for more flavor and nutrition. Our no-fuss combo includes sliced carrots and cucumbers, which add a nice crunch to balance out the tender, sliced steak. Tomatoes supply color and flavor, and the mushrooms add a nice, delicate texture.
Last but not least, we finish things off with a fresh lemon tarragon vinaigrette. Believe us when we say nothing elevates a salad quite like a homemade dressing. Skip the store-bought stuff and whip up this preservative- and sugar-free herby variety which features tarragon (an herb with a slightly licorice-esque flavor similar to fennel and anise). Finely chopped shallot and Dijon mustard give the dressing a little bite. (If you’re following Sugar Free 3, make sure you choose a Dijon mustard without added sugar or wine!)
Throw all the ingredients together and you have an easy, filling salad that’s more than worthy of the main course!
Get control of your sugar habit with Sugar Free 3! It gives you simple instructions to eliminate added sugars, refined carbs, and artificial sweeteners for just 3 weeks. Sign up on Openfit today, and order your book on Amazon for even more tips.
Steak Salad with Lemon Tarragon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 3 oz grilled lean steak sliced
- Nonstick cooking spray
- sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups baby spinach raw
- ½ cup mushrooms sliced
- ⅓ cup carrots sliced
- ½ cup cucumbers sliced
- 1 medium tomato diced
1 tbsp. Lemon Tarragon Vinaigrette salad dressing:
- ¼ cup lemon juice fresh
- ¼ cup shallot finely chopped
- 6 sprigs fresh tarragon leaves chopped
- 4 tsp. Dijon mustard NSA and no wine added for Sugar Free 3
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- 6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
Steak Salad
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Preheat grill (or broiler) to high.
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Place beef on broiler pan that is lightly coated with spray. Season beef with salt and pepper (if desired).
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Grill (or broil) beef for approx. 4 to 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare, 6 to 7 minutes on each side for medium, or to desired doneness.* Cut into four even pieces.
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Let beef rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Lemon Tarragon Vinaigrette
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Combine all ingredients and mix together.
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Drizzle over salad.
Recipe Notes
Photography by Anguel Dimov, AB Creative
