Cold steak is the ultimate leftover, the smallest piece can be thinly sliced to yield a surprisingly generous portion perfect for any summer salad. Like everywhere else right now, it’s incredibly hot in Vancouver and using the oven is out of the question most nights. My solution is to keep a small salad bar on constant rotation in the fridge, a couple of containers full of prepped ingredient for super easy meals. I like to cook up a batch of quinoa and then cool it on a baking sheet so that it doesn’t continue to residually cook to the point of mushiness and keep it chilled in the fridge for a vegetarian and protein-rich addition to salads. Fresh fruit of any kind is what I look forward to the most when summer arrives so I love to include it in as many recipes as possible. In fact, many of the salads I make are more fruit salad than non, I’m unable to resist the bright sweetness and colour of seasonal fruit paired with salty, sharp, and bitter ingredients. Blueberries are lovely here but thinly sliced nectarines and peaches, pitted cherries, blackberries, strawberries, melon, and grapes are all welcome additions to any salad. I’ve finally succeeded in growing decent basil plants so I’m using it in all of my cooking, fresh mint, thyme, parsley, or cilantro would all taste amazing in this salad.

leftover steak summer salad:

Leftover steak, sliced as thinly as possible

Grape tomatoes, halved

Blueberries

Quinoa

Cucumber

Arugula

Feta cheese, crumbled

Fresh basil leaves

Sherry vinegar

Olive Oil

Fleur de sel (Maldon or kosher salt also works well, the “crunch” factor is what’s important)

Freshly cracked pepper

Pile all ingredients except for the vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper onto a large shallow bowl. Drizzle the salad with olive oil, following with a smaller drizzle of sherry vinegar. Top with plenty of salt and pepper. Toss and enjoy immediately.

I finally got around to listening to Morning Phase and I have totally fallen in love with the entire album, the more melancholy Beck gets the better in my opinion. This song is dreamy and nostalgic, a much-needed gentle soundtrack to my current morning phase. I highly recommend listening to this song in your summeriest pajamas while reading cookbooks and drinking cold green tea sweetened with honey.

Beck – Blue Moon