Steak Salad with Arugula, Walnuts, and Roasted Pears

What do you get when you combine peppery arugula lettuce, walnuts, and roasted pears, and then top it all with juicy pan seared strip loin, aromatic crumbled blue cheese, and an easy balsamic vinaigrette? Today's magical recipe for Steak and Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Roasted Pears!

This was the perfect high protein dinner to serve my running club - our motto, we may be slow but we're ahead of you - and we're training for a half marathon in the fall!

Despite the fact that I can barely walk - this thanks to an hour and a half of hills last night -  coming home to this dinner made it worth all the aches and pains! The beautifully seasoned strip loin steak is super tender and spectacularly offset by the sweet depth roasting brings to pears. Balanced out by toasty walnuts, the tangy punch of blue cheese, peppery arugula, and a balsamic vinaigrette, this salad is as good as anything I've ever had in a restaurant (and probably better).

So give it a try, and if you do, let me know what you thought of it!

 Visit the printable recipe here: Steak Salad with Arugula,Walnuts, and Roasted Pears

Please enjoy today's step by step how to video.




Ingredients

• 2 large pears, any variety
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 cup deep fried onions (optional)
• 2 strip loin steaks
• 5-6 cups baby arugula lettuce (or a mixture of arugula and radicchio)
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

Steak Seasoning Ingredients

• 1 tsp sea salt (or my trademark lemon herb salt)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried chiles
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500
2. Cut each pear lengthwise, remove the core, then set cut side down on a board and slice thinly,
3. Toss pear with butter and sugar. Place on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper and roast for 10 min. Flip and roast 5 more minutes. Let pears cool.
4. Set the steaks on the counter and bring to room temperature.
5. Toast the nuts in a small dry skillet until browned, 3 minutes and set aside.
6. Whisk 2 tbsp of the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper together.
7. Stir the steak seasoning ingredients together. Drizzle the steaks on either side with 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle even amounts of the seasoning mix onto both sides of each steak.
8. Heat the last tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium high (about 7) and sear for 4 minutes. Using tongs, check periodically to make sure the pan isn't too hot - you want to get a nice crust on the steak but not burn it. If the pan gets too hot, turn it to medium low (about 4). After 4 minutes, flip the steak using tongs and pan sear for an additional 4 minutes over medium low heat (the pan will still be nice and hot).
9. After searing both sides, let the steak rest for five minutes while you build the salad.
10. Combine arugula and pears in large serving bowl, and gently toss with half of the dressing. Add the cheese and nuts and distribute even amounts of the salad onto four serving plates.
11. Thinly slice the seared steak and place the slices onto the tops of the four salads. Each salad will be topped with half a steak. 
12. Drizzle each plate with the balsamic dressing and then sprinkle with the deep fried onions if using.

Author:

Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe developer, and a website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada. Lyndsay believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of all levels can accomplish.

Visit her daily on her blog, The Kitchen Witch or on her YouTube Channel, CHARMED With The Kitchen Witch.