Seared sweet chili steak salad

I used to be a vegetarian, and while I do now eat meat, my diet still consists mostly of vegetarian food. Until recently, that is. For some unknown reason I've been craving red meat in the past few weeks. It's strange, but I generally go with what my body seems to need. More red meat it is, then.

This salad is a recent attempt to feed the new red meat craving. It's so simple that I honestly didn't expect much of the result, but it surprised me by being utterly delicious. And if you're interested in this kind of thing, it's also very high in protein, high in fibre, and low in fat.

Seared sweet chili steak salad
Makes enough for 2

100g good quality steak (preferably fillet), cut into strips
3 tbsp plus 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
juice of 1 lemon, halved
2 tbsp canola oil, halved
1/2 of a small head of broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (or other grain such as couscous or bulgur wheat, if you prefer)
big handful wild rocket (baby spinach would also be good)
salt

Toss the steak strips with 3 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce and half of the lemon juice and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium sized pan over high heat, till it starts to smoke slightly. Add the broccoli florets and toss around the pan for a few minutes, until the florets are cahrred here and there but still bright and crunchy. Remove the broccoli from the pan but keep the pan on the heat.

Add the steak strips and all the chili-lemon juices to the pan and stir fry for abot five minutes, until the strips are just cooked through and the juices have caramelized. Be careful not to overcook as that would make the steak tough and chewy.

In a medium bowl, toss together the broccoli, steak strips, and all remaining ingredients, including the remaining sweet chili sauce, lemon juice and oil. Toss and taste, adding as much salt as needed.