Be Your Own Sweetgreen

If you've been following things for a little while now, you probably have picked up on the things I avoid spending money on: salad dressings, smoothies, juice. I would rather pedi-cab off the Williamsburg Bridge than pay someone else to hit a button and pulverize vegetables for me.

This is not a weight-loss blog and I'm not a nutritional expert. I love carbs. I will never advise you go keto for a month or promise that kale will make your body "clean." Truth be told, I don't believe our bodies are "unclean" to begin with. The intersection of health and wellness where it pertains to food is fraught with outside pressures telling us how important it is to be thin. It's neurotically tied to impossible (and newsflash: very white) standards of beauty. So when I talk about my relationship to food, I want to be clear this isn't about losing weight. I struggle with mine and I bet you have too. We can take a deep dive on that another time. Today I'd like us to think a little more meaningfully about what it means to feel good in our bodies.

I've noticed what I eat is pretty closely related to where I'm at mentally. When I'm a little more depressed than usual, I'm more likely to stop caring about my body and what I'm putting into it. I've never been the Salad Whisperer. I would love to tell you I crave quinoa but I don't and probably never will. I crave salt. Potato chips. I want a piece of fried chicken, preferably cold and basking in the glow of my open fridge like Nigella Lawson but less chic. Fried chicken is love! So is a bowl of perfectly cooked cacio e pepe. But as in love, so it must be on my plate: I try to be generous in more than one direction. This doesn't mean sacrificing pasta (never!) and I don't believe any pleasure should feel "guilty." Yet I'd be lying if I said I bounce back from from a 3 pm sugar crash like I did when I was 20. Same with a hangover. Vegetables, however, do give me energy. I've come to really love that about them. 2-4 oz of protein makes me feel stronger. Strong is a nice place to be. This is what feels good for me, for you it might be a little different. My unqualified advice is to listen to your body. Sometimes mine likes to mouth off and whisper critical things in my ear. In these instances I try to say something nice back to it. "You seem pretty tired today, why don't we take a nap after we go for a walk later?" There's a lot of noise in the world, so do what you can do to tune it out. Try not to label some meals "healthy" versus "unhealthy." Take pleasure in all of it and, most importantly, give yourself a goddamn break.

The things that haven't changed are my feelings on paying for someone to compose a salad just for me. Yes, it feels more convenient, but with a little planning ahead I have tasty things around for lunch that don't end up costing a fucking fortune. Here is all you need to be your own Sweetgreen at home, so you can stop waiting in ridiculously long lines for what (let's be honest) is a spiffed up salad bar buffet.  

At the start of your week, let's say on Sunday, set aside an hour or two to prep. You don't have time, you say? Think about what you did today. Did you go for a run earlier? Have you watched an episode of Queer Eye this week? Then you can spare an hour.  It's also a convenient time to cook your protein. Roast any vegetables that need it. Sweet potatoes or beets are nice, chickpeas tossed in a little smoked paprika and cumin are even better. While they do their thing you can cook grains like farro or quinoa and slice up any raw veg you want on hand for the week. I'm a fan of cucumbers, sugar snap peas, bell peppers. Lastly, I tuck some ingredients for a quick vinaigrette into a jar which is great to have kicking around. Salads are all about texture so don't forget to add some crunch to keep it interesting: cashews, pistachios and smoked almonds are all great without hitting you over the head with their healthy bonafides.

If I'm really in the weeds and don't have time, this Quick Steak Salad is my go-to. I whip up a very loose take on nuoc-cham that tastes great on just about everything. As you can see, there's not much to it at all. I'm a fan of quick cooking cuts of steak for salads like these. Here I've used top sirloin, but hanger, flatiron or skirt steak would be also be excellent.

Quick Steak Salad with Fish Sauce Dressing

INGREDIENTS

For the Salad:

1 lb. boneless top sirloin steaks, 1/2 inch wide (two filets is best)
2 sweet potatoes, 1-2" dice
4 cups arugula, washed and dried
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes  
2 small persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. toasted cashews
1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds
3 Tbs Grapeseed Oil, reserved
Salt + Pepper

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Fish Sauce (I like Red Boat Brand)
1/4 cup fresh Lime Juice, with more lime wedges to serve
1 Tbs. Water
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes or 1 red chili, deseeded and chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. On a standard sheet pan, toss the sweet potatoes with 2 Tbs Grapeseed Oil, sesame seeds, salt and pepper. Roast for 35 minutes, flipping over once, until nice and caramelized on all sides.

2. In a 10 inch cast iron skillet, heat the remaining 1 Tbs. of Grapeseed oil over Medium High heat. Pat the steaks dry and season with more salt and pepper. Cook the steaks for 3-4 minutes a side (so 6-8 min total) for medium rare.  Remove the steaks from heat and set aside on a plate to rest for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, let's get that Faux Nuoc Cham going. In a small bowl, whisk the Maple Syrup, Fish Sauce, Lime Juice and Water. Add the minced clove of garlic and red chili flakes or chopped chili, if using. 

4. To assemble the salad.  Divide into 2 bowls 2 cups of arugula and 1/2 each of the avocado. Add to each bowl the sliced cherry tomatoes and persian cucumbers. Sprinkle the cashews over the top.

5. Thinly slice the steaks against the grain and distribute to the bowls. Drizzle the dressing over the top and serve with more lime wedges and dressing on the side. Serves 2.