Main Dish Salads Have Come a Long Way!

By Holly Clegg –

Salads have come a long way! Forget a salad with iceberg lettuce, tomato, dressing, and maybe tossed with a few croutons. Mandarin Steak Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette featuring marinated sirloin steak, mixed greens, oranges, and red bell peppers, is a delicious, innovative entrée salad that will tantalize the taste buds while being hearty enough to satisfy. Keep cooking to a minimum during these busy summer months by serving an entrée salad for a one-dish main course meal. And with this dish clean up is a snap as the meat is marinated in a plastic zip top resealable bag. This versatile recipe gives you a fabulous marinade to use with any meat, and sensational vinaigrette for any salad. So, mix and match with whatever component of the recipe you need for a quick summer meal.

Mandarin Steak Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette From Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets To Sizzle At Any Age

Steak, oranges, peppers and peanuts on mixed greens with a zingy vinaigrette makes an unbeatable entree salad.

Makes 4 servings

1 (16-ounce) sirloin steak, trimmed of fat
Orange Marinade (see recipe)
8 cups mixed greens
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped peanuts Ginger Vinaigrette (see recipe)

1. Marinate steak in Orange Marinade (see recipe). Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Remove steak from marinade. In large nonstick skillet over medium heat, sear meat cooked to preference. Remove from skillet; slice and set aside.
2. Place mixed greens on plate, and top with mandarin oranges, red pepper, green onions, and sliced seared steak. Sprinkle with peanuts, serve with Ginger Vinaigrette (recipe follows).

Orange Marinade
An Asian infused marinade.

2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons NAKANO seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice 1 teaspoon olive oil

1. In plastic resealable bag, mix together all ingredients. Add steak, refrigerate two hours or overnight.

Nutritional information (without vinaigrette) per serving:
Calories 274 Calories from fat 33% Fat 10g Saturated Fat 3g Cholesterol 55mg Sodium 90mg Carbohydrate 16g Dietary Fiber 6g Sugars 9g Protein 29g Dietary Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1/2 fruit, 3 lean meat

Spicy Advice: Unpeeled fresh ginger will keep three weeks in the refrigerator.

Ginger Vinaigrette
Ever tasted a vinaigrette you wished you had the recipe – well, you have it!

Makes 3/4 cup

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1/2 cup NAKANO seasoned rice wine vinegar

1. In small bowl, whisk together all ingredients.

Nutritional information per serving:
Calories 76 Calories from fat 79% Fat 7g Saturated Fat 1g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 396mg Carbohydrate 4g Dietary Fiber 0g Sugars 4g Protein 0g Dietary Exchanges: 1 1/2 fat

Spicy Advice: Try different flavors of NAKANO seasoned rice vinegar—two favorites of mine are Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper!

Holly Clegg, author of best-selling trim&TERRIFIC® cookbook series, including the women’s lifestyle cookbook, Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle at Any Age, and also the specialized trim&TERRIFIC® Diabetic Cooking and Eating Well Through Cancer. With 1 million copies sold, Holly has promoted her healthy lifestyle recipes on Fox & Friends, NBC Weekend Today, and The 700 Club. Known as the healthy “Queen of Quick,” she understands the demands of the busy person and with her user friendly, pantry friendly, and time friendly cookbooks. For more information, visit http://www.hollyclegg.com/  or http://thehealthycookingblog.com/.