If you are taking the trouble to use a great steak marinade, you will want to serve an impressive side dish with your succulent meat. A cool, colorful salad is a great choice because you can use your imagination or use one of the following recipes to make something mouthwatering and tempting.
Feel free to adapt these salad recipes. You can leave ingredients out or add different ones if you want to. The most important thing to remember is not to add the dressing until just before you serve the meal, else the salad might go soggy. You can serve the dressing on the side if you prefer and let people serve themselves.
Special Spinach Salad with Strawberries
This delicious summer salad recipe is wonderful alongside a steak because it looks great and tastes even better. You can add any other berries or fruits to the mixture. Raspberries and blueberries are nice, or try blackberries later in the season. Wedges of apple are good as well but soak them in lemon juice first so they do not turn brown.
You do not have to use nuts but roasted almonds or pecans add extra protein as well as more crunch. Toast the nuts for ten minutes at 350 degrees F to bring out their flavor.
What you will need:
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries 1/2 cup pecans 1 bunch fresh spinach 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons honey Salt and black pepper
How to make it:
Combine the spinach, cheese, pecans, and strawberries. Stir the honey with the vinegar and stream in the olive oil while you whisk the mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and drizzle the dressing over the salad just before you serve it.
Curried Fruit and Nut Salad
This unusual recipe combines fruit, nuts, and an herby, spicy dressing. This would be fantastic alongside a juicy steak, especially if you have used a flank steak marinade and you want a tasty side dish, which will stand up to, the strong flavor of the meat.
What you will need:
1 teaspoon curry powder 1 tablespoon melted butter 3/4 cup cashew halves 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 slices bacon 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1/2 cup olive oil 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 10 oz mixed leaves 1/2 cup halved seedless red grapes 1/2 thinly sliced pear
How to make it:
Toast the nuts for five minutes in a dry skillet over a moderately high heat. Transfer them to a bowl. Cook the bacon strips for about seven minutes in the skillet or until they are crisp, then let them cool and chop them.
Stir the rosemary, curry powder, butter, salt, brown sugar, cashews, and cayenne pepper together. Stir the mustard, honey, and white wine vinegar together, then whisk in the olive oil. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Toss the greens, grapes, pear and bacon in a salad bowl with the curry powder mixture, then sprinkle the nuts on top and drizzle the honey mustard dressing over the leaves. Serve immediately.
