Easy Summer Steak Salad

We always seem to prepare one-too-many steaks when grilling outdoors.  This is fine with me, because I like using the leftovers in new dishes.  

The weather here in San Antonio has been very hot.  Sometimes I don't want to eat a hot meal in the summer, and tonight was one of those times.  Enter the leftover steak.

Unfortunately, I failed to take step-out photos, but this is so easy you won't need them.

Ingredients:

a variety of washed, dried, cut lettuce

one yellow zuchini (or other vegetable of choice) halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise

one red onion, sliced

olive oil

one avocado, cubed 

leftover steak, cut into 1/4 inch slices (cut against the grain of the meat), then cut into rectangular pieces

(think fork-friendly size!)

dressing of choice

Prepare lettuce and place in salad bowl to dress, but wait until just before serving to dress the greens.

Slice avocado in half with skin intact.  Using knife, create slices lengthwise in the flesh of the avocado, then crosswise.  Pop the pieces out into a prep bowl.  Easy!

Heat a wok or saute pan with 2 Tablespoons olive oil until medium-hot.

Drop onions into hot oil and sautee until nicely carmelized.  Remove from pan into a prep bowl with a slotted spoon.

Add zuchini and saute until edges are beginning to brown.  Again, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Turn your sliced steak into pan.  You may wish to add a small amount of seasoning or dry rub onto the meat.  I threw a teaspoon of a steak rub I had on hand.  Quickly toss the meat in the pan enough to heat through but not cook.  Remove pan from heat until ready to serve.

Dress the salad, then plate it.

Layer the ingredients over the salad:  squash, onions, avocado, then steak.  Serve!

It was delicious and simple.  Just my kind of summer meal.

*Note:  this idea works with any leftover protein:  salmon, shrimp, pork, or chicken.  It is a nice change from a traditional chef salad!  Try it and let me know what you think.