Amy Pennington is an all-around talented lady: gardening guru, savvy speaker, talented writer (and a columnist here), and envy-inducing cook. She’s written a number of cookbooks that showcase the bounty of her gardening projects, but Salad Days—out today from Sasquatch Books—may well be my favorite. The book has 75 recipes for approachable salads that make eating your veggies a delight rather than a chore. There’s even breakfast salad—I’ve never eaten a salad for breakfast, but I’ve seen Amy do it, and I plan to give it a try. But first, this steak salad with rhubarb vinaigrette:  

Coriander Flank Steak and Rhubarb Vinaigrette
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 stalks rhubarb, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
6 tbsp avocado or grapeseed oil, divided
1 lb flank steak
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp ground coriander
6 cups arugula or salad greens

2 cups “croutons” (day-old bread cut into 1-inch cubes and grilled or broiled until toasted)
6 oz blue cheese, crumbled
Parsley leaves (optional)
Celery leaves (optional)

Directions:
To make the vinaigrette, in a small saucepan, add ½ cup water and the rhubarb, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer
and cook until the rhubarb is soft and falling apart, about
15 minutes. Drain the rhubarb from the water, and in a blender on high speed, combine the rhubarb mash, maple syrup and mustard. Slowly pour in 4 tablespoons of the oil until the vinaigrette has emulsified, about 30 seconds. Set aside.

Place the oven rack at the top position—about 6 inches from the broiler coils—and heat the broiler. Season the steak on both sides with the salt, pepper, and coriander and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Lay the steak on a baking sheet, place it in the oven and bake until the steak is brown, about 6 minutes.

Flip the steak over and cook the other side under the broiler until just charred and cooked to medium rare, 6 minutes more. Remove the steak from the oven and let rest it for 10 minutes before slicing it into ½-inch-thick pieces, cutting across the grain.

In a large bowl, add the arugula, croutons, cheese, and half of the vinaigrette. Add the parsley and celery leaves, and toss to combine well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and divide evenly, adding several slices of steak over each before serving.

*(c)2017 by Amy Pennington. All rights reserved. Excerpted from Salad Days by permission of Sasquatch Books.