Earlier this week I wrote about a recipe for Chicken Gribenes N Waffles Cupcakes. It was a recipe I had researched. Considered. Carefully planned. And it came out…ok. Not quite as mind blowing as I had hoped. But fun to execute and I remain proud all the same. I mean, who else can say they made a delicious pareve cupcake topped with fried chicken skin!?
I had planned to make grilled chicken breasts with a farmers market-fresh peach salsa for dinner this past Monday evening. I picked up all the ingredients I would need for the fruity salsa. My daughter kept me company at the counter while I carefully diced and mixed. It’s such a great feeling when you feel like your meals are well-planned, healthful and then actually executed, right!?
And then my husband, who was bringing home the chicken breasts, got held up at work. What to do with the my salsa!?
Looking in the fridge I spotted some fresh spinach, and a small piece of steak leftover from dinner the previous evening. Hmmm….could these things go together? The answer was a resounding yes.
I added some fresh corn, cucumber, slivered almonds and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Wow- what a winning recipe! My husband and I devoured the leftovers-inspired salad. Who cares if my big plans for grilled chicken breasts with mango peach salsa didn’t work out – the salad that emerged is even better. It was a great reminder to myself that sometimes the best things happen when you don’t plan, both in and out of the kitchen.
I hope you enjoy this hearty salad recipe, and I wish you happy improvising!
Ingredients
For mango peach salsa:
1 mango, diced
2 small-medium sized peaches, diced
1 cup chopped tomatoes
½ red bell pepper, diced
¼ cup finely diced red onion
2 Tbsp finely diced jalapeno
1 Tbsp olive oil
Juice from ½ lemon
Salt and pepper
For grilled steak:
1 pound skirt steak
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 bag washed spinach
½ English cucumber, diced
1 cup fresh corn
¼ cup slivered almonds
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Directions
Heat grill pan on medium-high heat.
Pat steak dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. Add olive oil and rub each side. Oil grill pan and grill steak turning once, 4-6 minutes for medium-rare.
When steak is done, remove from pan and transfer to a cutting board. Let sit loosely covered with foil another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, assemble the salad and mango salsa.
For the mango peach salsa: in a small bowl combine mango, peach, tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion and jalapeno. Season with salt and pepper and squeeze half a lemon on top. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and mix.
For the salad: place spinach leaves on a large plate. Add chopped cucumber, corn and almonds. Top with around 1 cup of mango peach salsa.
After the steak has rested for 5 minutes, slice the steak diagonally across the grain. Place steak on top of salad.
Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
pareve
Pronounced: PAHRV or pah-REV, Origin: Hebrew, an adjective to describe a food or dish that is neither meat nor dairy. (Kosher laws prohibit serving meat and dairy together.)
