Grainful

SUMMER SALAD TOPPED WITH HERB-SEASONED NY STRIP STEAK & APPLE CIDER-CILANTRO VINAIGRETTE

Prep Time: 8 minutes   Cook Time: 6 minutes Total Time: 14 minutes

Serves: 4 Level: Easy

INGREDIENTS:

4-8oz Grass Fed NY Strip Steaks 1 jar Montreal Seasoning (steak or chicken) 3 mini cucumbers, sliced into coins ½ pint sunburst cherry tomatoes 2 carrots rinsed but not peeled, sliced into coins 6 oz. Raw Sheep’s Milk Roquefort Cheese, crumble ¼ small red onion, sliced thinly 1 cup garbanzo beans, cooked and rinsed well 10 oz. mixed greens (spinach, radicchio, arugula)

Chef Sacco Tip* A basic vinaigrette ratio is one part vinegar to three parts oil.  I like my vinaigrettes to have a punch to it, so I do one part vinegar to two-and-a-half parts oil.  

VINAIGRETTE:

½ cup apple cider vinegar 1 cup olive oil 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 2 Tbsp. cilantro, freshly chopped 2 Tbsp. honey

STEAK INSTRUCTIONS:

1   Pat dry the steaks using a paper towel. Season generously with Montreal seasoning.

2   In a large saute pan, coat the pan with olive oil and turn heat up to med-high.  When oil is hot, add steaks (you can do the steaks in two batches if you don’t have a big enough pan).  

3   Sear both sides of the steak for 3 minutes each for medium rare.  Allow steaks to rest on a plate for about 3-5 minutes.  This will give the steaks a chance to absorb and hold all their juices.  Once they have rested slice on a bias into ½” thick slices.  

4   Assemble the salad putting the greens on the bottom and evenly distributing each topping over the top.  Crumble the Roquefort over the top and lay your steak slices in the middle.

VINAIGRETTE INSTRUCTIONS:

1   In a medium bowl, whisk vinegar, mustard and honey until mixed well.  

2   Using a slow stream, pour the olive oil into the bowl while vigorously whisking.  This will allow the vinaigrette to emulsify and not break on you. It is key that you slowly pour the oil in a little at a time and not add too much at once.

3   Once all the oil is whisked in, add cilantro.  Salt to Taste.

4   Allow each person to add their own amount of vinaigrette.  You don’t want to pre-dress the greens otherwise the salad will end up soggy.

Guacamole made with Cilantro Sofrito

Shopping List

4 Haas Avocados-ripen *the best way to ensure ripe avocados is buying them a day or two ahead of time and let them rest on the counter to ripen*

½ cup fresh squeezed or organic lime juice

½ small red onion, chopped

1 large plum tomato, de-seeded and cut into ¼” dice

1 Tbsp Chipotle Tabasco

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

3 Tbsp cilantro sofrito (see Chef Sacco’s recipe) If you don’t have time to make this you can always substitute with fresh cilantro but this gives it the wow factor!

Kosher salt to taste

How to:

1.     Cut avocado into large chunks (watch Chef Sacco’s YouTube video on how to peel and cut an avocado)

2.     Pour lime juice over the chunks. Mash up using a fork.

3.     Add chopped red onion and stir well.

4.     Add tomato, Chipotle Tabasco sauce, cilantro sofrito and stir well.

5.     Add chopped cilantro and stir.

6.     Taste and season with kosher salt.

Cilantro Sofrito

INGREDIENTS:

2 bunches fresh cilantro (Rinse thoroughly to remove any sand. Cut ends off-but not the stems. The stems have the most flavor!) 3 cloves garlic 1/4 of a small red onion 1/2 cup lime juice Salt to taste 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tsp smoked paprika

Add all the ingredients except the salt to a Cuisinart.

Pulse until all the ingredients are chopped and combined well.

Salt to taste.

Pour into ice cube trays and freeze.

Chinese Five Spice Shrimp & Pork Lettuce Wraps

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

 Serves: 4

Level: Intermediate

 Ingredients:

 1 lb organic ground pork

½ lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, diced

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Chinese five-spice powder

1 bunch Tuscan kale, washed and stems removed, and cut into strips

6oz shitake mushrooms, sliced

1 small carrot, diced

2” lemongrass stalk, bruised and minced

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup lime juice

¼ cup gluten-free soy sauce

¼ cup coconut oil

2 bunches romaine hearts

Cooking Instructions:

 1.        In a medium non-stick sauté pan, coat pan with coconut oil and begin sautéing garlic, ginger and lemongrass on medium heat.

2.       Once golden brown, add shitake mushrooms and cook until mushrooms release moisture.

3.      Add carrots and sauté for 2 minutes.

4.      Add ground pork and season generously with Chinese five-spice powder.  

5.      Add salt to taste.

6.      Once all the pork is fully cooked and browned, add kale, lime juice and soy sauce.

7.       Sauté until kale is wilted.

8.      Add shrimp and cook until shrimp turns pink and is fully cooked.

9.      Add chopped cilantro.

10.  Taste and season again if needed.

11.     Scoop filling into romaine hearts.

12.    Enjoy!

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