Thai Style Melon & Beef Salad

Here is a nice cool recipe to top off this fourth of July week for you.  You can
give this Thai-style beef salad a sweet twist by adding thin matchsticks of melon to the mix.

Firm orange- or pale green-fleshed melon is equally good. The saltiness of the fish sauce helps to balance the sweetness of the melon.


INGREDIENTS:
12 ounce(s) beef sirloin or other boneless steak, about 1 inch thick, trimmed

1/4 teaspoon(s) kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup(s) lime juice

3 tablespoon(s) fish sauce (see Tips & Techniques) (Optional)

2 teaspoon(s) sugar

1 clove(s) garlic, grated or minced

1/2 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper

1 medium-to-large firm ripe melon

1 small green bell pepper

1 small red bell pepper

6 cup(s) (about 1 head) lightly packed torn Boston lettuce

1/2 cup(s) slivered red onion

1/2 cup(s) thin cucumber slices, halved

1/2 cup(s) lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 cup(s) lightly packed torn fresh mint leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat Grill  To Medium.

2.Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Grill the steak about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare and 6 minutes per side for medium. Transfer the steak to a clean cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before thinly slicing crosswise.

3.Meanwhile, whisk lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, and crushed red pepper to taste in a small bowl.

 Cut melon into enough 5-inch-long matchsticks to make 4 cups. (Reserve any remaining melon for another use.) Cut bell peppers into 2-inch-long matchsticks.

Combine the melon and peppers in a large bowl along with lettuce, onion, cucumber, cilantro, and mint.

4.Add the sliced beef to the salad. Whisk the dressing, pour it over the salad, and gently toss to combine.

Carb Servings: 1 fruit, 1 vegetable, 1 1/2 lean meat. Carbohydrate Servings: 1. Nutrition Bonus: Folate (23% daily value), Potassium (21% dv), Zinc (17% dv), Iron (15% dv).

Cooking Tips N Techniques(Don't sweat it!)

Fish sauce is a pungent condiment made from salted, fermented fish. Find it in the Asian section of large supermarkets and in Asian specialty markets. We use Thai Kitchen fish sauce, lower in sodium than other brands (1,190 mg per tablespoon), in our nutritional analysis. Naturally, because I'm allergic...I won't be using it...But for those who aren't allergic..I hope this was helpful.

Enjoy!