What initially started off as a boring steak and zucchini dish turned into an awesome salad thanks to some heirloom tomatoes and chimichurri sauce.

When putting together my weekly menu, I originally planned a Wednesday lunch of grilled rib-eye steak with 1/2 a large zuchinni. Wow, there’s excitement for you. Then it dawned on me to make zoodles with the squash and add some Argentine chimichurri sauce. That sounded tastier. Toss in some slices of heirloom tomatoes and now you’ve got an awesome salad.

Chimichurri sauce, if you haven’t experienced it, is just wonderful. Garlicky and tart, the bright green color really pops. It can double as a marinade or sauce that you can use for chicken, pork or vegetables. But I absolutely love it with steak.

Typically it’s made from fresh parsley and oregano, garlic, vegetable oil and white vinegar. For mine I used what I had available: flat-leaf parsley and cilantro. 

Since vegetable oil isn’t healthy I used extra virgin olive oil, although MCT oil is a great fat-burning choice. And instead of white vinegar, I used red wine vinegar. Good vinegar alternatives include apple cider or coconut vinegars.

And if you like a little heat, which I do, then adding some red pepper flakes does wonders.

Chimichurri Rib-Eye & Zoodle Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes
Macronutrients: 70% Fat, 21% Protein, 9% carbs
Total Carbs: 8g (3g of fiber)

Chimichurri Sauce Ingredients (makes 2 cups; serving size: 2 tbsp)

• 1 C Flat leaf parsley, packed
• 1/3 C Cilantro, packed
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp Fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp Oregano leaves
• 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp Red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/3 C Red Wine Vinegar

Chimichurri Directions:

• Add all of the sauce contents to a food processor or blender and puree. Pour into a glass jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Salad Directions (serves 2)

• Grill your rib-eye to desired temperature.
• Cut up a medium sized heirloom tomato into thick slices. Quarter those slices and set aside.
• Using a the tool of your choice, turn your zuchini into zoodles. Add some salt to the noodles and let sit for about 15 minutes to sweat out any excess liquid. Rinse off and using paper towels, ring out any extra liquid.
• Melt a tablespoon of butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zoodles and cook for a few minutes.
• When rib-eye is ready, pull off grill and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice into thin slices.
• When zoodles are ready, divide evenly between 2 plates. Add the tomatoes and slices of rib-eye. Top each plate with 2 tbsp of the chimichurri sauce.

Note: While this dish was listed on my menu as Wednesday’s lunch, we ended up having it for dinner instead of the salmon. Why? We just weren’t hungry when lunch time rolled around. So rather than run out to the store to pick up fresh salmon for dinner, I made this dish instead. I also ended up using less of the heirloom tomato than I thought so the carb count is a bit lower than my menu, but I’m not complaining. For the steak, my husband and I split a rib eye. I had 5 ounces and he had the rest. The macros listed above reflect my plate.