Ranchero Steak Salad

It was definitely a scorcher yesterday. The mercury was up to 100*F or about 38*C. It was HOT, HOT, HOT. So for dinner I wanted something that was cool and refreshing. I made a ranchero steak salad that was just perfect to help cool us down. Very little cooking was involved at all.

First, I marinated my steak in a chili lime sauce for about 4 hours, so it was full of flavor and nice and tender.

Chili Lime Marinade

1/3-1/2 cup lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil or lime olive oil

1-2 tsp ground achiote pepper

1 tsp lime and chili powder

1 TBSP garlic

chopped fresh cilantro

Mix everything together and marinade your steak, chicken, shrimp, tofu or whatever else you may fancy.

Then I made some pico do gallo Pico de Gallo and cut some tortillas into thin strips and pan-fried them to make them crispy. I did those ahead of time, so they were ready when I made up my salads.

Time for the salad. Romaine lettuce, chopped; corn cooked just slightly and shaved right off the cob; red onions, sliced very thin; cucumber peeled and sliced thin; tomato diced; cheese for Larry; avocado for me; steak; pico de gallo; ranch dressing and fried tortilla strips.

I pan-seared the steak to a delicious medium rare, then cut it into thin strips. When the steak was ready, I added it to my salads.

I finished the salads off with the avocado slices, ranch dressing, pico de gallo and tortilla strips. Mission accomplished! It was cool and delicious and oh so refreshing. And better yet, by the time we were ready to eat, the temperature had cooled down enough to where it was comfortable to eat outside on our beloved deck. Life is good! 🙂

When life gets too hot, cool down with a nice refreshing salad and a cool glass or two of wine, sit back and enjoy. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay cool, stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.