Ranch Steak Bruschetta Salad - 5 stars

i LOVED this meal. i was really excited when i came across the recipe, because i love bruschetta, i love salad, i love steak, and i love when i get to indulge in my non-dairy ranch dressing (it's kind of fatty - 80 of the 90 calories per serving are from fat! i try not to buy it too much because if i have it in the house, i can't resist it).

the only issue i had with this recipe is that i was still starving afterward. i was surprised by that because it's a heavier salad, and it includes carbs. i think it just needed more fiber - either in the form of different vegetables or some garbanzo beans or something.

it was really easy to make, and as i ate it, the flavors of it continually surprised me.

i used some of the leftover beef tenderloin from christmas in this dish. i cut it into thick steaks, and rubbed the steaks with a mixture of ground cumin, ground coffee, ancho chili powder and ground black pepper. i grilled them in a grill pan on the stove (the bbq has been acting up, and i didn't want to take the time to see if it was working, or if i could fix it :) ).

while they were grilling, i made a mixture of sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped shallots, fresh basil, roasted bell peppers and fresh lemon juice. i also mixed the ranch dressing (in separate bowls, soy in one, regular ranch in the other :) ) with some horseradish.

after the steaks were done, i grilled slices of baguette in the grill pan. to assemble the salads, i made a bed of baby romaine, put the baguette slices on top of the lettuce, added the steak (sliced across the grain after resting for five minutes or so), and put the tomato basil mixture on top of that. i poured the ranch over it, and added some freshly ground black pepper.

YUM!

Note: the recipe did call for arugula, but the grocery store i was at didn't carry it. i hope it's available next time i make this - it would hold up in the salad better than baby romaine.

Ranch Steak Bruschetta Salad

Salad dressing:
6 tablespoons ranch dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Steaks:
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground coffee
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1 inch thick)
Cooking spray

Remaining ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
6 cups loosely packed arugula
12 (1-ounce) slices French bread, toasted

1. To prepare salad dressing, combine ranch dressing and horseradish in a small bowl; cover and chill.

2. To prepare steaks, combine black pepper, ground coffee, ground cumin, and ancho chile powder. Rub both sides of steaks with pepper mixture, and let stand 10 minutes.

3. Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium heat. Coat steaks with cooking spray. Add steaks to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steaks from pan; let stand 7 minutes.

4. Combine shallots, fresh basil, bell peppers, juice, and tomatoes in a small bowl; toss well.

5. Arrange 1 cup arugula on each of 6 serving plates, and top each serving with 2 toast slices. Cut each steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Divide steak slices evenly among the toast slices; top each serving with about 2 tablespoons tomato mixture. Drizzle each serving with about 1 tablespoon of the salad dressing. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

(Courtesy of Cooking Light)