I love salads for the same reason I love yogurt and smoothie bowls (and oatmeal, before my Paleo days) — it's basically a vehicle for toppings. You have a base and you can put any variety of toppings you want, so it's never boring.

I also am not a typically a huge meat person. At school, I'm primarily a pescatarian and sometimes vegan (but not intentionally), though I do enjoy the occasional steak. (Also, based off of my smoothie bowl-heavy Instagram, a ton of people have asked if I'm vegan.)

I feel like I "protein-cycle" AKA I was really craving protein and the only protein we had left in the fridge was a New York Strip steak...

So here it is. A Southwestern-inspired steak salad AKA the best damn salad you'll have in your life.

Southwestern-Inspired Steak Salad

serves: 1 | time: 30 minutes | paleo, gluten free

ingredients

• 2 oz 100% grass-fed New York Strip steak (or any other steak)

• 1/2 avocado

• 3 slices jicama, chopped

• 1/4 small baked or steamed sweet potato, sliced

• 1/4 cup sweet white corn (omit for Paleo)

• 1 bunch kale (or any other salad green of choice)

• 1 egg (optional)

• 1/4 cup tomato paste (my mom's recipe: just stew tomatoes with a honey, salt, cayenne pepper)

• EVOO, lemon, salt, cayenne pepper, normal pepper for dressing steak and salad

• 1 small clove of garlic, minced

directions

1. Take the steak out of the fridge. Cover with EVOO, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and minced garlic, rub it into the steak, and let it sit until room temperature. If you're impatient/short on time, you can definitely just use it right away, but I used that time to prep my ingredients.

2. Meanwhile, chop the jicama, slice the sweet potato, and chop the kale into small pieces.

3. Put the kale in a mixing bowl and pour in EVOO, lemon, salt, cayenne pepper, and normal pepper, to taste. Massage the dressing into the kale until the kale is dark and soft.

4. Heat your grill or grill pan (I used this one) on high heat until hot. Take the steak and brush off the garlic, then place on the grill for 3-4 minutes on each side. Note: This results in a medium rare on the side of rare on a thick cut of meat. For a more cooked steak, do 5-6 minutes.

5. Remove steak from heat and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Again, if you're impatient/don't have time, you can skip this.

6. If you want, you can fry an egg to go on the salad for extra protein — just heat up EVOO, coconut oil, or avocado oil in a pan on medium heat, crack an egg in, cover for 2 minutes, and remove from heat.

7. Slice the steak and combine all ingredients in a bowl (or eat straight from the mixing bowl like I do!), and enjoy! You can use the tomato paste for dipping the steak or you can make it into a dressing; I'd recommend diluting with EVOO if doing the latter.