Caesar Pasta Salad with Flank Steak

Total time: 25 minutes
     With the chili powder, Worcestershire and garlic, this has a surprising kick to it... not hot, just assertive.  The creamy Greek yogurt is the perfect foil.

 Ingredients: 

• 1 medium flank steak, 300gr,  10.5oz
• 1 tbs chili powder, 7.5gr,  .26oz
• 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce, 34gr,  1.2oz
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1.4gr,  .05oz
• 4oz mushrooms, 125gr,  4.5oz
• 2 tsp oil, 9gr,  .3oz
• 1 tbs Worcestershire, 17gr,  .6oz
• 1 cup of bite-size pasta - fusilli, shells, penne, 90gr,  3.2oz
• 1 small avocado, 170gr,  6oz
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 90gr,  3.2oz
• Caesar dressing
• 2 cloves garlic, 6gr,  .2oz
• 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard, 15gr,  .5oz
• 1 tbs lemon juice, 15gr,  .5oz
• 1 tbs tarragon white wine vinegar, 15gr,  .5oz
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce, 11gr,  .4oz
• 2 anchovy filets, mashed or 1 tsp anchovy paste (optional), 8gr,  .3oz
• 1/2 cup (4oz, 125ml) Greek or plain yogurt, 125gr,  4.4oz
• 2 tbs good olive oil, 27gr,  1oz
• 1 tbs snipped fresh chives
• 3 tbs Parmesan, 15gr,  .5oz

 Instructions:

• Cook pasta according to package instructions.  When done, drain, put into a large serving bowl.
• Mix chili powder, Worcestershire and garlic.
• Slice flank steak into strips and toss with chili powder mixture.  Set aside while you cook mushrooms.
• Clean mushrooms and thickly slice.
• Heat 2 tsp oil and 1 tbs Worcestershire in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and stir to coat.  Fry until soft and starting to brown, 5 - 7 minutes.  Remove and set aside.
• Make dressing.
• Cook steak on barbecue grill or quickly stir-fry in large nonstick skillet in 1 tbs oil over medium-high heat.  Either way it will only take, 2 - 3 minutes.
• To assemble:
• Cut and slice avocado.
• Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
• Add half the steak to the pasta.
• Add 2/3 dressing to pasta and toss to mix.  (A tongs works great for this!)
• After mixing taste and add rest of dressing if you like.
• Put pasta in a large bowl.
• Spread the remaining steak in a circle on top.
• Add the mushrooms in the center.
• Arrange avocado slices around the edge.
• Add tomatoes and serve.
• Caesar Dressing
• Mince garlic and put in small bowl.
• Add mustard, lemon, Worcestershire, vinegar and yogurt (and anchovies, if using) and mix well with wire whisk.
• Slowly drizzle in olive oil whisking constantly.
• Whisk in Parmesan and chives. 

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Nutrition Information  Caesar Dressing Recipe serves 2            Entire Recipe / per serving Calories:   433 / 216.5 Total Carbohydrates:  13 / 6.5           Dietary Fiber:  .9 / .45 Total Fat:  37 / 18.5          Saturated Fat:  9.5 / 4.75 Cholesterol:  35 / 17.5 Protein:  14 / 7 Calcium:  375 / 187.5 Sodium:  869 / 434.5

Nutrition Information  Complete Salad with all Dressing Recipe serves 2            Entire Recipe / per serving Calories:  1779 / 889.5 Total Carbohydrates:  111 / 55.5           Dietary Fiber:   23 / 11.5 Total Fat:  109 / 54.5          Saturated Fat: 28 / 14 Cholesterol:  158 / 79 Protein:  96 / 48 Calcium:  594 / 297 Sodium:  1554 / 777

General Technical Details and Disclaimer:

Measurements are actual measurements used for calculation. If there are no values the nutritional numbers were simply too small.

I used top sirloin for the nutrition for the beef as I could not find accurate info for a flank steak.

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it.  I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.

My information comes from my own digital, computerized scale and the USDA Nutrient Data Library: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/