Grilled Flank Steak & Strawberry Bacon Salad

Strawberries are the epitome of summer eating, and there's nothing I enjoy more than a quick and light, cold salad on a warm day. But we're always working around here, so it also has to be filling enough to keep us moving. This salad is fantastic with some sliced, grilled steak on top, so this week, I bring you Grilled Flank Steak and Strawberry Bacon Salad .

I know I said quick, and it is, but it also requires a bit of forethought.

The flank steak is best when marinated overnight, so the evening before you'd like to prepare it, whip up the quick marinade and get it into a zipper bag to rest. The ingredients can mix right in the bag and then just place the steak in and close. If you think of it, you can turn it over a couple times in the fridge to get the marinade all over the meat.

The next day, drain the steak, discard the marinade and grill it until desired doneness. We like things medium rare around here, so it only took 4 or 5 minutes per side. You could also broil the steak indoors if you can't grill. It's delicious either way! Once it's cooked, let it rest a few minutes and then slice thinly against the grain.

The salad comes next! I always chop the bacon into small pieces while it's cold and then cook it in a small frying pan. It cooks quickly this way and I don't have to use a large pan. Once it's browned to your liking, just drain on a paper towel and start the veggies. The rest of the ingredients should come together quickly in a large bowl; just toss it and get ready for the dressing.

Every ingredient for the Strawberry Vinaigrette dressing gets placed through the blender, so chopping the fruits and veggies perfectly is not important at all. I give it a quick chop just to make the blending easier, but don't waste time trying to dice everything evenly.

Once the dressing has been blended, you are ready to serve. Lay the salad on a plate and top with the sliced steak. Pour dressing over the dish and dig in! The sweetness of the fruit and the bite of the garlic and onion are perfect together. And the dressing will keep for a week or so in the refrigerator, so plan on having a few more salads; it's delicious!

So, try Grilled Flank Steak and Strawberry Bacon Salad before the summer gets away from us! And as usual, if you give this recipe a try, come back and let me know what you think!