Southern Sundays: Cowboy Salad

Welcome to Southern Sundays

A time to sit back and relax, get together with friends and enjoy some good food!

The weather is warm and the grilling was on this weekend!  We decided to enjoy the weather and have dinner outside on the patio.  Lights were glowing, and the heat of the day was starting to cool down.  So what better way to enjoy a nice quiet evening that with a grilled steak salad.  


MGG just loves salad.  I think I've mentioned before that I think he is part rabbit.  I should change his name from MGG to The White Rabbit!  So most salads feel light and dainty or feminine to me.  I wanted to make MGG (aka The White Rabbit) a BIG...BEEFY salad.  A cowboy salad.


I think that may be an oxymoron (cowboy + salad?).  Well, if there ever was a salad that a big strong cowboy would love to eat, it's this one!

You start out with a steak that's spiced with a Cowboy Rub that has a hint of coffee in it, layer on some dark leafy greens mixed with peppery arugula, and bold flavors such as skillet corn, red onion, poblano peppers, and cherry tomatoes. What you end up with is one heck of a Cowboy Salad!


Take a look for yourself...

Needless to say MGG devoured his, and part of mine too!  Now you can choose your favorite steak for this dish however, I recommend a nice flank steak or a restaurant cut sirloin steak.  Both cook nicely and are tender when cut against the grain.  A what goes better with a Cowboy Salad than cornbread?  Woohoo for cornbread.  I just love my mom's southern cornbread.  I'll be sharing that with you soon!

Please treat yourself and your cowboy ( I mean your MAN) to a scrumptious salad.

Cowboy Salad

Serves 4

Cowboy Rub (recipe below)

1 lb restaurant cut sirloin steak or flank steak

1 c fresh corn cut from the cob.  About 2 ears

2 t canola oil

1/3 c red wine

1/3 c balsamic vinegar

1 ½ t sugar

4 c of dark leaf lettuce mixed with arugula

1 medium poblano chile pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

16 cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ of a red onion, thinly sliced

In a small bowl combine all ingredients for Cowboy Rub.  Sprinkle the rub evenly over all sides of the beef; pressing in with your fingers.  Let the meat stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a dry large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add corn to hot skillet.  Cook about 5 minutes or until beginning to lightly brown on edges, stirring occasionally.   Transfer to a plate and allow to cool. 

Grill beef on a charcoal or gas grill over medium-high heat.  Cook for 13 to 15 minutes for medium (160 degrees), turning once halfway through cooking.   Transfer beef to a cutting board and allow to stand for 5 minutes.  Thinly slice beef against the grain into long slices.

 

To make the dressing add the red wine, vinegar, and sugar to a skillet. Over medium-high heat bring the mixture to a boil.  Continue to slow boil about 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup. Remove from heat.

Divide leafy greens and arugula mixture among plates.  Top with poblano peppers, tomatoes, red onion, and sliced beef among four dinner plates. Sprinkle corn over the top.  Spoon your dressing over the entire dish.  Serve immediately.  

Cowboy Rub

1 T paprika

1  T ground coffee

1 T onion powder

1 1/2 t ancho chili powder or regular mild chili powder

1 t smoked salt or regular salt

2 t packed light brown sugar

1 ½ t coarse black pepper

1 ½ t garlic powder

A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

In a small bowl combine all ingredients.

Southern Sundays

So let's get to the feature of last week's party.  I would like to thank everyone for participating.  It's so good to see all your creative food items! 

We had one entry that drew everyone's attention.    

Congratulations on your featured recipe!

Zucchini Tagliatelle
By Diane of Simple Living with Diane Balch

Congratulations again!  Stop by the creative artist's blog and say "Hi!".  I'm sure she would love to hear from you.

So let's party!  I can't wait to see what you all bring this week.  Make sure to tell all your friends so they can join the party as well!

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Enjoy, have fun, cook lots of food, and relish your Southern Sunday!