Lunch: Steak Salad

I have been wanting to make a steak salad for a long time now, and when I had delicious flank steak at my parents' a few weeks ago while visiting them in Marin, I decided to finally go for it. At the very least, I'd learn my mom's recipe for the marinade (see above). After eating a couple slices tonight for dinner, I sliced the rest of the meat and combined the following ingredients.

Steak Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
makes 4 lunches

cold, cooked steak, thinly sliced (about .75 lbs)
red leaf lettuce
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped (optional - I had one in the fridge I wanted to use up)
4 oz. parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. walnuts, toasted

Lemon Vinaigrette

juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp. and 1 tsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. sherry vinegar
1/4 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
1 clove garlic, grated
1/8 tsp. lemon zest

Combine tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, egg, walnuts and cheese. Divide into 4 containers, and top with some torn lettuce. Divide the sliced steak evenly between the containers, then place remaining lettuce on top. To prepare dressing, combine lemon juice, olive oil, sherry vinegar, mustard, honey and garlic, whisk well, then strain. On the day you're taking it to work, drizzle about a tablespoon of dressing into the container or over the dish if it's being plated.

Costs

Beef Flank Steak $9.44 (for .83 lb)
2 Tomatoes $2.49
Red Onion $.43
Cucumber $.99
Lemons $1.49

Cost per meal: $3.71 (this is slightly inflated since I ate part of the steak for dinner the first night, but it doesn't take into account the cost of the marinade)

Nutritional information per serving: 348 calories, 19g fat, 6g saturated fat, 13% sodium, 9g carbohydrate, 2g dietary fiber, 5g sugar, 35g protein, 90% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 23% calcium, 16% iron. Also a good source of Niacin (38%), Vitamin B6 (38%), Zinc (38%), and Selenium (52%).