Loving the Bite: Blue Cheese Steak Salad

Looks like we got enough Thumbs Up last week to keep the recipes going…but we’ve decided to make it Loving the Bite Thursdays instead of laying it out on Tuesdays.  Although I don’t eat red meat, I didn’t want that to stop us from laying out a great steak salad recipe for you to check out. Kelli’s got another hot one for y’all.

For Beef Eaters, is all beef the same?  Is there a better choice?

In the recipe below, I specifically list Grass-fed beef.  Why?  When cows are fed grains instead of grass, even if it’s just to “finish” off their feeding to make them gain more weight, the fat make-up of their meat is altered.  With 100% grass-feeding, the meat has higher amount of healthy (anti-inflammatory) omega-3s.  With grain-feeding, the meat has a lower omega-3 composition and higher omega-6.  It’s this ratio of omega-3s vs. omega-6s that’s important for overall inflammation in our bodies.  This bodily inflammation doesn’t just affect things like joints and arthritis…it has implications for most all chronic disease (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc).  And, while there is not a lot of omega-3s in red meat to start with, and even grass-feeding doesn’t increase it anywhere near high omega-3 foods like fish, a recent study suggested that grass-fed red meat eaters had a better omega-3:omega-6 ratio (http://cdn.marksdailyapple.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/McAfeeGrassfedbeefbettern3thanconventionalbeefBJN2011-2.pdf

I, too, have a grocery budget and I know it’s expensive!  Every once in awhile it goes on sale, and I stock up. If you live by a store like “Whole Foods,” you can find grass-fed and finished beef.  Otherwise, you will likely have to buy it straight from the rancher…here’s one site that lists ranchers that sell it: http://www.eatwild.com/.  If you can’t find grass-fed and finished beef, but still want to eat red meat, at least make sure that it is hormone and anti-biotic free.

To save money and still eat high quality, organic and grass-fed meats, try eating a vegetarian dinner 2-3 times per week.  Use beans, nuts, tofu, and eggs (lacto-vegetarian) as your protein source.  By saving money on these days, you may be able to splurge on the other.

As athletes, we often have extra inflammation and oxidative stress in our bodies.  We also have high protein needs.  It’s important to find healthy protein sources that provide beneficial nutrients for our bodies (whether vegetarian or meat-eating), rather than eating the least-expensive, cheaply-fed, unhealthy ones that drag us down.

Loving the Bite: Blue Cheese Steak Salad

Ingredients:

• 8-10 ounces cooked lean Grass-Fed beef sirloin steak
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 3-1/4 cups Spinach or romaine lettuce – rinsed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 small tomato, sliced
• 1/2 small green bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 carrot, sliced
• 3 tablespoons sliced red onion
• 2 tablespoons sliced pimento-stuffed green olives

Directions: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Mix in the cheese. Cover and place dressing in refrigerator.

Onto chilled plates arrange the lettuce, tomato, pepper, onion and olives. Top with cooked steak and drizzle with dressing. Enjoy! Serves 2.

Nutrition Information: 495 calories, 26.4 grams fat, 8.2 grams saturated fat, 10 grams carbs, 3.4 grams fiber, 33 grams protein.

Fuel Your Ride.  Nourish Your Body.