Beef, Dinner, Food, Recipes, Vegetables

A Dinner Menu: Steak Dry Rub, Avocado Salsa, and Chopped Broccoli Salad

Below you will find recipes for a complete meal!  As I mentioned in my Easter post, my family came over for dinner last Saturday night and we prepared for Easter as well as celebrated my birthday a few days early.  I made dinner because that’s what I do and below is what I prepared – enough to feed five adults and my three hungry boys!  My dad very sweetly brought over gluten free cakes from Trader Joe’s.  Yes, that’s right CAKES. Apparently I’m so old that it was necessary to have more than one cake in order for all the candles to fit.  I guess if two cakes is the worst thing so far about being another year older; I must assume that getting older is pretty darn awesome….

Steak Dry Rub

1/4 cup smoked paprika

3 tablespoons cumin

1/4 cup chili powder

2 tablespoons Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Sea salt to taste

Olive oil brushed onto outside of steak

Mix all dry rub ingredients together in a large bowl.  Place each steak directly into the dry rub mixture and make sure each side is well coated, rubbing the dry rub into the stead.  Let the steaks sit for at least 30 minutes.  Coat each side with a bit of olive oil before the steaks hit the grill.  We used top sirloin but this dry rub is great on rib eyes and flank steak too!!

Avocado Salsa

4 avocados, diced

3 roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 red onions, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve on top of your steaks!

Chopped Broccoli Salad

3 cups broccoli, finely chopped

1 ½ cups of carrots, diced

1 apple, diced

9 strips of bacon, cooked and diced

3 green onions, diced

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1 tabelspoon fresh dill

Black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve!!

IMG_3885

Enjoy!

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Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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64 Comments

  1. Tracey says:

    Happy Belated Sarah!!!

    1. Sarah says:

      Thank you Tracey!

  2. elizabeth jaeger says:

    Happy birthday ! Love the book, got it yesterday … I am looking forward to cooking lots of yummy things 🙂 … my 11 year old is fully on board but his 5yr old brother – not so much !
    Plugging away !!
    thanks so much 🙂
    Lizzie in Atlanta

  3. barb says:

    Happy Belated Birthday! I am waiting anxiously for my amazon notice of shipment of my copy of EDP!! Who’s that cute dog??? Is he eating grain free? if so, what brand of food?

    1. Vanessa says:

      i feed my dog “taste of the wild” which is grain free. ever since he’s been on it, he has the smoothest coat ever! comes in great flavors too!

      1. kristin mccaig says:

        Hey,
        Acana is another grain free option for dogs…might only be in Canada.

  4. Adam Landry says:

    That looks delicious. Going to have to try this next week! Thanks for the great recipes. Eagerly awaiting your book to arrive too!

  5. Gail Davis says:

    Happy Birthday! Should have known you were a Taurus…

  6. Gwen says:

    Happy birthday Sarah! When was it? Mine was the 26th 🙂
    Us Taurus gals are pretty tough chics!

    1. Sarah says:

      It’s today actually! : ) Yes, us Taurus gals are tough for sure, I will agree with that 100%! : )

  7. Angela says:

    This looks delicious, Sarah! Happy Birthday too!

    I wanted to thank you for inspiring me as a mom of two, trying to implement a paleo lifestyle with my family. I began three weeks ago after reading the Paleo Solution and have had incredible success with how I look and feel. I also have two sons that I am taking on this journey; a three year old and a seven month old just starting solids. My three year old has severe allergies (food and environment, excema,), and behavioral issues that i suspect stem from grain intolerances. I began implementing a paleo diet for him and look at your blog for ideas on what to feed him so that his gut can begin healing. He is beginning to improve, and I am so very grateful for the information on your blog and look forward to receiving your book when it ships to me (waiting not-so patiently!). Anyhow, I HAD to write to you from one northern CA gal to another. Thanks much!

    1. Sarah says:

      Thanks so much Angela!! I’m so so glad to hear that your little one is improving, keep me posted on your progress!
      Big hugs…

  8. This recipe looks great! Had a question: Drinking a glass of coconut juice everyday is a little too much right? (if trying to convert to paleo) Also, I buy it a local market and they claim to add nothing to the juice, straight from the tree to the bottle. Is this considered paleo?

    1. Sarah says:

      Well, it’s up to you as far as what your goals are. If you are trying to lean out (lose body fat) I would avoid the coconut juice for now. I like to drink coconut water after a workout now and then but not as a beverage throughout the day.

  9. Erin L. says:

    Just bought the book at Barnes and Noble. VERY excited that you have already planned meals for my family next week. That is going to save me a ton of time and I can hardly wait to try some of these recipes. Thanks for all you do!

  10. Lindsey says:

    I made all this for dinner. Pretty quick and absolutely delicious!

  11. Dave says:

    happy birthday! damn this looks good, i’m getting fully on the bandwagon now, i’ve been slacking off for ages but now’s the time to start properly i think! gonna cook this one on fri or sat night.

  12. Wendy says:

    Happy Birthday Sarah!!! Hope it was a great one!

  13. Steven says:

    The avocado salsa was amazing! Thanks so much for that…

    1. Sarah says:

      So glad you liked it! : )

  14. Renee says:

    Made the broccoli salad last night. It was excellent! My husband even commented on how good it was.

    1. Sarah says:

      So glad you liked the salad Renee!

  15. Becky says:

    I’m very eager to try the broccoli salad since it looks so good. Question: Is your bacon not fed grains? What is your philosophy of eating pork that is conventionally fed but doesn’t have nitrates? It is so expensive for me to get bacon from pigs that were fed non grains. Thanks tons,

    Am loving your book.
    Becky

    1. Sarah says:

      If I can’t find pasture raised pork I will buy Niman Ranch uncured bacon. The majority of the meat I eat is grass fed, I eat no processed foods, and I take Omega 3 supplements so if I eat some bacon now and then that was probably fed grains, I simply don’t sweat it too much. : )

      1. Julie says:

        Love your blog- just a comment/question on nitrate-free bacon. America’s Test Kitchen tested nitrate-free and regular bacon and had the following to say:
        “Bacon labeled “nitrate- or nitrite-free,” on the other hand, is brined with salt, a bacterial lactic acid starter culture, and celery juice (sometimes listed as “natural flavor”).

        But here’s the catch: Celery juice naturally contains a high level of organic nitrate, which is converted to the problematic nitrite by the bacteria in the starter culture and also by saliva during chewing. Despite this fact, it’s technically correct to label the bacon “no nitrates or nitrites added,” since the compounds are formed during production, not added as ingredients. The question is: How do the levels of nitrite and nitrate in uncured bacon compare with those in its cured counterpart?….The uncured bacons actually had higher levels of nitrite than the cured meat”

        Have you read about this and what are your thoughts? I read that adding Vitamin C when you eat nitrates will help inhibit nitrosamine formation…so now we just eat regular bacon and take Vitamin C.

        Sorry so long, just curious about what others think? I felt I had been “duped” by the “nitrate-free” labeling. Almost like the “cholesterol free” label that marketers put on non-animal based foods 🙂

        thanks

        1. Sarah says:

          I would only worry about the nitrate factor, wether you are buying nitrate free or not, if this type of food was a staple in your diet, as in you eat it multiple times daily in combination with a ton of other processed unhealthy food options. Here’s a interesting article on the subject http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/07/does-banning-hotdogs-and-bacon-make.html

          1. Julie says:

            Great article! thanks.

  16. Wendy says:

    I will be making this tonight!! 🙂

    thank you Sarah for continuing to inspire me!

  17. Claudia says:

    So… I tried counting the candles on both cakes, but all photos were sufficiently (partly) blurred not to give away the exact number 😀 Anyway, happy belated birthday, Sarah!
    I’m going to order your book this weekend, even though it’s out of stock. Amazon UK estimates it’s going to take them another month or two to restock. Oh well… I guess they had other things on their minds 😉

    1. Sarah says:

      LOL!! I know I almost mentioned that if you can count the candles then you’ll know my age! I guess it’s still a mystery…. ; ) I hope you get your book soon!

  18. Stacey H. says:

    Happy Birthday Sarah…You don’t look a day over 23 🙂 Going to try this recipe tonight and hopefully it will be one of my weekly or go-to recipes. It looks soooo good. I don’t think I can ever get enough guacamole and steak (I know you didn’t call it guacamole, but that’s what it looks like to me). I am also excited to get my hands on your book. It should be arriving tomorrow 🙂 I got to peek at it for a few minutes a week or so ago at a crossfit/Paleo pot luck. I was so impressed…This isn’t some small flimsy cookbook, this is almost like Betty Crocker gone Paleo (haha) I’m not a crossfit member but someone invited me to check out the food, so I went and am so glad I did. I bought Robb Wolf’s book and have been using it like a food Bible. Thank you for all that you do. I truly appreciate it.

    1. Sarah says:

      Thank you Stacey!! : )

  19. Joan Carlson says:

    Sarah, how much meat is this rub recipe for? Thanks!

    1. Sarah says:

      It made enough to cover about 4lbs worth of steak!

  20. Jessica S says:

    Sarah,

    I made this dinner tonight, and my family was blown away! The flavors in this are so rich! The avacado salsa calms down the rub, and the broccoli salad was simply wonderful!! Thank you for providing these recipes!

    Jessica

  21. Monica says:

    The broccoli salad was inspired and unbelievably delicious. I’m making it for every bbq I attend this summer!

  22. April says:

    I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! My husband loved it too. We have plenty of leftovers for my lunch today and even more salad and salsa left over to eat it with your dry rub burgers tonight!

    Also, finally got your book yesterday. Flipped through it with the hubby and we are both so excited to start trying the recipes!

  23. Debbie S says:

    We went to the beach this weekend for my daughters first double digit birthday (10) and made this menu for her……hit hit hit hit hit!!!! It was delicious! And what actually happened was, we were so stuffed from eating all weekend, i simply grilled up the flat iron steak and cut it into thin strips and let everyone nibble at will. It was fabulous!
    So happy birthday to you and thanks for the menu 🙂

  24. Debbie S says:

    I used only one tablespoon per side of the rub on our flat iron steak and it was plenty. Especially if your kids don’t do spicy too well. They loved it!

  25. This looks absolutely amazing. I’m making the Guacamole, that’s for sure. Today is Cinco De Mayo, it’s a must with our dinner tonight, plus a mango salsa with freshly picked mangos, yum!! Love, Love your blog and recipes. Thank You! I need to check out your book.

  26. Cole says:

    I made this yesterday with pork chops and it was awesome! Ate the left over chops for breakfast w/ eggs, really good the next day!

  27. KrispyK says:

    Hi Sarah – I’m loving your book! I just made the Puerto Rican Beef w/Mashed Sweet Potatoes and it was delicious! Thanks also for this post. It’s super-helpful to see full meal combos. I’m relatively new to going Paleo (since March) and would welcome more meal combos like this one. Thanks also to you, Crissy and Dain for your entertaining and informative podcasts. I look forward to the next installment every week!

  28. Sue says:

    I just made the broccoli salad-it’s delicious! It makes a great “meal-in-a-bowl” lunch.
    And it’s a nice change from the typical mayonnaise/sugar-laden versions.

    I don’t know if it’s ‘paleo-approved’ substitution, but I think think this would be tasty with diced chicken and toasted sunflower seeds instead of the bacon.

    1. Sarah says:

      Sounds awesome with the chicken and a sprinkling of sunflower seeds! Yum!

    2. KrispyK says:

      I did add sunflower seeds and rotisserie chicken and it was delicious. I also subbed the apples and carrots with a pear and it all worked together wonderfully! I bet it would also be good with walnuts or other nuts.

  29. MMM!!! I’m loving everything about every part of this dish! All of the flavors work so well together, and the best part is that they are all things my family likes. This one will be a family pleaser for sure!!

  30. WOW!!!

    I just cooked this an it is awesome!

    I could actually eat the guac salsa like its cereal lol

    It’s day 4 of Paleo for me and I am eating like a king

    I just got your book yesterday and I can’t wait to try your version
    of my Favorite dish: Butter Chicken

    Glad I found your stuff

    -Mark

  31. Sarah – this broccoli salad looks amazing! I have added it to my list of must makes!!!! 🙂 I can’t wait to try it!

  32. Jennifer says:

    I brought the Broccoli Salad to a BBQ that my crossfit box had. It was a huge success – there was none left. I directed everyone to your website for the how to.

  33. April says:

    Do you steamed broccoli for the salad or is it raw? Thanks

    1. Sarah says:

      Raw!

  34. Charlotte says:

    Hi Sarah!

    Just wanted to let you know that this was my very first paleo meal; I made it at the beginning of the week for me and my boyfriend, and now we are hooked on your recipes and your website. I swapped out all other fats for coconut oil / EVOO and organic butter a couple of weeks ago. We’ve eaten paleo all week and I am NEVER going back to grains and sugar… the difference in the way I feel already is astonishing. I have ordered your book from Amazon, you are so inspiring and I’m really grateful to you and your charming family for sharing your lifestyle and all these gorgeous recipes and great advice. Thank you! Please keep it up!

    1. Sarah says:

      Thank you so much Charlotte!! I’m so glad that you are already feeling so great, this is for sure a life changing way of eating. Take care!!

  35. April says:

    I LOVE the broccoli salad so much I make sure to always have some on hand. It is the perfect mix of crunchy fruit and veggie goodness and the yummer salt of the bacon all mixed with a delish dressing. To make it super easy I chop the broccoli and carrots in the food processor and then add a bit of lemon so the apples don’t brown. Thank you for a terrific recipe! 🙂

    1. Sarah says:

      Great idea April, thank you!

  36. Pam says:

    I made this entire meal except i used chicken instead of steak for the rub. I had company over and also served some roasted sweet potatoes. It was fantastic. Very easy and excellent. A keeper and my “go to” meal for company! thank you!!

  37. I just made this and it’s delicious! Thanks for the great summer day recipe!

    Holly

    1. So glad you enjoyed the dinner Holly!

  38. Hey Sarah,
    A couple things about this. I made this not too long ago and couldn’t help but think that the measurement for some of these ingredients is completely off scale. 1/4 cup of smoked paprika and chili powder is a HUGE amount. Trusting your word, I made it with just that (and in the process, completely wiped out my pantry) and it made my steaks completely caked and bitter. Maybe this was a typo or oversight?

    I scaled both down to 3Tbs respectively on my third run and found it much more edible. A huge note on this, you might want to look at the other recipes as well. I believe your smokey roast recipe has the same problem.

    -Greg

    1. Sarah says:

      The measurements are correct Greg – how many steaks did you use with the rub? If you only made a couple of steaks, yes, it’s WAY to much rub, and I wouldn’t expect you to completely cake just a couple of steaks with that amount of dry rub. As stated in the post, we made enough steaks with this rub for a party and fed 8 people (5 adults and 3 children). When we make this rub we usually make it for 5-7 big steaks and if we don’t use all of the rub, we save what’s left for the next time we want it. The measurements on the spices for the roast is also correct but if you are using a smaller roast, don’t use all of the rub. 1/4 cup is only 4 tablespoons of paprika for this dry rub and when spread over 5-7 large steaks should not be bitter or overwhelming.

  39. I’m making this for oh, about the 12th time for dinner tonight. My whole family loves it, and when I’m sharing our paleo adventures with friends I always send them this recipe to try. Nothing but raves too! Thanks again!

    Dawn.

  40. I don’t know if anyone mentioned this already – but I poured apple cider vinegar over the apple once cut so that it wouldn’t turn brown, and it added more apple flavor! I also did this recipe the day before so that the flavors would meld together better, and it was incredible served after a 24hour “soak” in the dressing! Great recipe! Way better than those mayonnaise based broccoli salad recipes!

  41. That steak dry rub looks delicious! I will have to try it. I have been eating so much steak recently with it being summer and all (Grilling season!) If anyone is wondering about what steak cuts to buy, I just did some research and wrote a post about it here: http://mindsome.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/lets-talk-steaks-and-the-yummiest-cut-for-you/ Thought I’d share it so none of you guys will have to do the research like I did!

    Thanks for sharing, everdaypaleo! Another great recipe!

  42. Shelly says:

    Made the steak and avocado salsa. Soooo delicious!! Will make again!

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