Sweet & Salty Beef Salad

From EatingWell: September/October 1991, EatingWell Serves Two — Subscribe Now!

Here's a salad that showcases the Asian yin and yang philosophy of combining opposing flavors. Mild, crisp iceberg lettuce allows the exotic hot-sweet-sour-salty flavors of the warm dressing to shine.

2 servings

Active Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce, (see Note) or reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, halved, cored and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
8 ounces sirloin steak, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, or serrano pepper, seeded and minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 orange, peel and white pith removed, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Preparation

Stir fish sauce (or soy sauce) and brown sugar in a small bowl. Divide lettuce between 2 plates.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add beef and cook, stirring until browned on the outside and still pink inside, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon over the lettuce.
Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, jalapeño (or serrano), onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the fish sauce (or soy sauce) mixture, remove from the heat and stir in orange and cilantro. Spoon the sauce over the salad and sprinkle with peanuts.

Tips & Notes

Note: Fish sauce is a pungent Southeast Asian sauce made from salted, fermented fish. It can be found in the Asian section of large supermarkets and in Asian specialty markets.

Nutrition

Per serving: 337 calories; 12 g fat (3 g sat, 6 g mono); 47 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrates; 30 g protein; 4 g fiber; 585 mg sodium; 735 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value), Zinc (30% dv), Vitamin A (20% dv), Iron (15% dv).

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 fruit, 2 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1 fat