Farmers Market Steak Salad

While it is still too early for most vegetables here in the NE, I do have access to the best from around the US.

I bought wonderful strawberries, a kobocha squash, spring mix of baby lettuces, chopped clams from Long Island (linguine and clam sauce, here we come), shiitake and portobellos from Pennsylvania and tomatoes from South Carolina.

As the money moves west the better foods follow. 6 years ago I would have died and gone to heaven to see fresh mozzarella locally and now I can buy it everywhere (I will make my own ricotta and mascarpone but I can not buy mozzarella curds anywhere around here...well, not yet).

I need to see what other bloggers are doing with a Kobocha, as I have never cooked with one. Research tells me it is sweeter than a butternut and keeps for months after harvesting. I would love to make stuffed ravioli's with it. I think the left-over veal would go well with the squash in a gnocchi ravioli. Easy to make and delicious to eat.

Check out my recipe for Gnocchi Ravioli. You make these once, you will make them over & over again.

I am a vegetable junkie. If it looks beautiful, I will buy it and figure what to do with it later. I have to refrain from buying too much because The Nudge is not a vegetable lover like I am and I can only eat so much.

I also bought a jar of Tupelo honey. I have tried buckwheat (which tastes like molasses but is much healthier) so I wanted to try another type.

I already poured some over my strawberries and yogurt parfait. Very sweet, but light. It says it doesn't crystallize which is good because I do not use it all that often, after all it still has a GI of 60. Just on the line of not acceptable.

Remember....diabetics are allowed 5 teaspoons of granulated sugar spread out during one day, so some honey is allowed and as we all know is loaded with antioxidants.

That's a very good thing.

If you are going to eat something sweet after dinner, use honey or agave nectar in place of sugar or buy palm sugar if you can find it.

For dinner tonight I am making a Steak Salad with a Lime Vinaigrette.

My Special Steak Salad
* Leftover steak, any kind, sliced thin
* A nice mix of salad greens (I used Boston lettuce and Spring Baby Mix)
* Sliced tomatoes
* Sliced cucumber
* Sliced fresh mozzarella or blue cheese crumbles
* Chopped olives
* Sliced red onion, optional
* 2 thin slices prosciutto, optional
* Marinaded artichoke hearts
* Freshly roasted beets, sliced thin
* Roasted peppers, red or yellow

Lime Vinaigrette
* 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes)
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil or safflower oil
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Arrange lettuces in a shallow bowl and toss with enough vinaigrette to just moisten. Add the other vegetables and drop evenly around the bowl. Place sliced steak in a flower pattern on the top and sprinkle with more vinaigrette and top with the seeds.