I met some of my gaming friends for the first time this past May for one of their graduations. These guys had said multiple times before that they do not like salads. I set out to prove them wrong.

• 1/2 red onion
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• salad vegetables of choice
  • preferred: romaine, red leaf lettuce
  • alternatives: endives, radicchio, iceberg
• chili peppers of choice, to taste (optional)
  • preferred: green Thai chilies (bird’s eye)
  • alternatives: jalapeno, serrano
• protein of choice
  • preferred: flank steak, flat iron steak
  • alternatives: chicken, shrimp, fish
• pasta (optional)
• other salad ingredients (optional)
  • cucumbers
  • tomatoes
  • oranges
  • corn
  • chickpeas, black beans, or other legumes

1. If you’re using steak and broiling it in the oven, heat it up and apply the dry rub to the steak now.
2. If you’re adding pasta, set the water to boil now.
3. Slice the red onion finely and juice the lemon and lime. Finely chop the peppers. Combine and let marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
4. Finely slice or dice the salad ingredients. The smaller the pieces, the better the incorporation of the flavors.
5. At some point during step 4, the oven should have come to temp and the pot should be boiling. Put your pasta and steak in to cook and continue with the other prep.
6. When your protein is ready, cut it to the desired size and combine with all the other ingredients. Mix well. (You can also have the protein on the side if that’s what you prefer.)

They were all pretty shocked by how good this salad was. My friend’s mom also complimented it. Huge win in my book.