The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” ~ Julia Child

Julia was spot on with this quote!

In honor of Anthony Bourdain’s upcoming 100th episode of No Reservations, I had to cook a good meal. It might not be Tony’s favorite meal, but I sure do love a filet mignon paired with some beautifully cooked veggies!

Prior to enjoying my succulent steak, I took Julia’s advice and went with some “diet food.” In this case, my favorite go-to salad. I picked up some fresh red leaf lettuce at the farmer’s market the other day so I couldn’t let it go to waste. I don’t measure any of the ingredients in my salad dressing, I just make it to taste based on how many I’m serving. The most important part is to make sure you have a good extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar. I use a small mixing dish and add some balsamic vinegar. Next I add a clove of minced garlic, a small half teaspoon of sugar, followed by a few dashes of light soy sauce (gives it a little zing). Finally, I top it all off with the EVOO and mix well. I know most dressings usually call for 1 part balsamic to 2 parts EVOO, but I prefer to do 1.5 parts EVOO to 2 parts balsamic (I like the bite). However, like I said, I usually make this dressing to taste so it’s up to you how much balsamic and EVOO to add. I finish up the salad by adding some croutons and a few small pieces of gouda cheese. I frequently get requests for this dressing recipe, and this is as close as I’ll come to telling you how to make it. 🙂

Meanwhile, I peeled and rinsed some fresh carrots that I got from the farmer’s market the other day. I mixed them with some olive oil, brown sugar, and a dash of salt, then roasted them in a baking dish at 400 F for about 20 minutes, until tender. Gotta love that sweet taste of brown sugar with the carrots!

I also purchased some bacon-wrapped filet mignons from Jacobson’s Deli and seasoned them with freshly ground sea salt and pepper. Then I grilled them to medium rare, about 6 minutes per side.While the carrots were cooking I covered the steaks up to finish cooking and stay warm. They turned out perfectly and tasted amazing! Perfect with a nice glass of cabernet sauvignon. Well, time to go catch No Reservations Beruit! Hope you all enjoyed, and feel free to comment with your own favorite steak recipes or go-to meals!