Ultimate Steak Salads

I love salads.

I have salad almost every day for lunch.

I also often order salads at restaurants.  That’s where the inspiration for this salad came from.

Way back in March, I tagged along with Hubs on a work trip.  It was still cold and blowy in the upper Midwest and we got to travel to sunny Florida with all sorts of beautiful fresh ingredients that weren’t yet available at home.  I fell in love!  And I made it my goal to replicate the salad as soon as summer vegetables and grilling weather hit our area.

Well, now it’s fall and I’ve finally perfected the recipe.  It took just the right chickpea salad and just the right marinated mushrooms to make this salad sing! 

Now it’s a favorite for the whole family – even the little boys will eat this salad for dinner!

Ultimate Steak Salad

Spinach or Romaine Lettuce

Steak

Steakhouse Butter (below)

Marinated mushrooms (below)

Chickpea salad (below)

Tomatoes & cucumbers, sliced

Feta cheese

1 avocado, sliced

Salt & pepper

To make the salads, season the steaks with salt and pepper and grill to desired doneness.  Brush generously with steakhouse butter and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into strips.

While the steak rests, fill bowls with spinach or lettuce.  Top with chickpea salad, marinated mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and feta.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Top with steak strips and enjoy.

Steakhouse Garlic Herb Butter

Adapted from About.com

¼ cup salted butter, softened

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh chives, minced

1 tsp fresh basil, minced

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Dash of pepper

Stir all ingredients together.  Set aside to brush on steaks, or refrigerate and slice to place on steaks.

Marinated Mushrooms

Adapted from skinnyms

8 oz baby portobella mushrooms

1 tsp olive oil

1 ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp lite soy sauce

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp dried oregano

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, minced

Clean and trim the mushrooms.  Add the mushrooms to a pot of boiling salted water and cook for 5 minutes.

While the mushrooms cook, whisk together the remaining ingredients.

Drain the cooked mushrooms and place in a deep bowl.  Pour the marinade over the mushrooms.  Cover and cool to room temperature before serving.

Refrigerate leftovers with the marinade for up to 3 days,

Chickpea Salad

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice

Pinch of black pepper, salt, and sugar

½ tsp dried oregano

1 clove garlic, minced

1 green onion, sliced (green and white parts)

1 (14 oz) can chickpeas (1 ½ cups)

½ cucumber, diced small

1 small rib celery, diced small

In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, pepper, salt, sugar, oregano, garlic, and onion.

In a larger bowl, stir together the chickpeas, cucumber, and celery.  Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and stir to combine.  Cover and chill for 1 hour and serve.