Bento Beef Salad   Makes 4 servings. Savory grilled Ginger-Soy Flat Iron Steak over a salad of fresh spinach, crispy bean sprouts, flavorful shiitake mushrooms, sweet pickled vegetables and juicy tomatoes dressed with a light soy-sesame vinaigrette.   Fun serving suggestions: Serve the Bento Beef Salad in bento-style lacquered boxes, individual-sized take-out boxes at a picnic or family style on a big beautiful platter.

Ingredients:

4 – 6 oz Flat Iron Steaks

Ginger-Soy Marinade

½ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

¼ cup dark sesame oil

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch minced fresh ginger

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Pickled Vegetables    

1 seedless cucumber, sliced into ¼ inch  thick disks and again into half moons

½ tsp salt

2 medium carrots, julienned

¼ cup water

¼ cup distilled white vinegar

¼ cup sugar

Toasted Sesame Seeds

Soy Sesame Vinaigrette

¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp minced shallots

1 ½ Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp minced ginger

Dash of sugar

1 Tbsp hoisin sauce

1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard

½ clove garlic, minced

Dash of black pepper

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp dark sesame oil

Bento Salad

½ pound shiitake mushrooms

1 tsp butter

1 lb salad spinach leaves (1 bag)

1/3 pound bean sprouts

¼ cup of halved cherry tomatoes

Directions:

1. To make the Ginger-Soy Marinated Flat Iron Steak, combine all marinade ingredients in non-reactive container. Add beef; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes to 2 hours. Turn steaks once during marination. Grill beef steaks over medium, ash-covered coals, uncovered to medium-rare to medium (145°F to160°F internal temperature) doneness.

2. To make Pickled Vegetables, toss cucumber with salt in bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. In a non-reactive saucepan, combine water, vinegar and sugar; whisk over low heat to dissolve sugar. Rinse cucumbers and combine with julienned carrots. Pour pickling mixture over vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minute.

3. To make Toasted Sesame Seeds, warm fry pan over medium heat; add 5 tablespoons sesame seeds to dry pan and gently toast until the seeds become golden and fragrant.

4. To make Soy-Sesame Vinaigrette, puree all ingredients in food processor. Reserve vegetable and sesame oil; add slowly after other ingredients have combined. Finish with a ½ tsp Toasted Sesame Seeds.

5. To make Bento Salad, sauté shitake mushrooms over medium heat with butter until softened and tender; set aside to cool. Toss spinach, bean sprouts and tomatoes in large bowl; add mushrooms.

6. Dress salad with appropriate amount of Soy-Sesame Vinaigrette and toss. Serve Bento Salad mounded with Ginger-Soy Flat Iron Steak sliced across the grain into thin strips over the top of the greens. Garnish with Pickled Vegetables, a drizzle of Vinaigrette and sprinkling of Toasted Sesame Seeds.