Garlic Steak and Shiitake Mushroom Salad

The other evening I went to the market to buy some ground turkey for a dinner I had planned. I was really happy because the paper said it went on sale that day and I’m a sucker for a sale.

So I went about my shopping and finally got to the refrigerated meat area and…no ground turkey on sale! In fact, no ground turkey period. No ground chicken either! Ugh…feeling totally defeated I left without ground meat of any kind. Luckily, I found a piece of steak in the freezer when I got home.

INGREDIENTS
8 to 10 oz steak fillet of your choice
1/2 head of lettuce
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 stalk green onion
1 clove garlic
2 tsp garlic salt
3 Tbsp oil
5 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame seed oil
1 tsp sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS
Soak the shiitake mushrooms in a small bowl of water. After 5 mintues rinse the mushrooms under running water making sure to get off any grit hiding under the edges of the mushroom. Once clean, soak the shiitake mushrooms again in a small bowl of water for 10 more minutes.

Coat the piece of steak with 1 Tbsp oil and the garlic salt. Broil or fry the steak according to your preference. Tear lettuce into bowls and place cooked slices of steak on top. Once the shiitake mushrooms are plump, cut off the stems and slice into thin strips. Place this on the steak and lettuce.

For the dressing, fry the chopped garlic in 2 Tbsp of oil. When lightly browned, take off the heat and add the soy sauce and sesame seed oil. I also add in 2 Tbsp. of the second batch of mushroom soaking water. Garnish the salad with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Makes 2 large salads