Blue Cheese Omnivorous

Ingredients

Romaine Lettuce (head $1.29)
1 pound of steak ($10 per pound)
1 box of colorful pasta ($1.03 Blue's Clues because my inner child sways me at times.)
1 red pepper ($2.62)
Blue Cheese dressing ($2.43)
½ pound block of blue cheese ($3.79 optional ingredient)

*Save money everywhere but in buying the meat. Cheap meat is too tough for this.

Wash and shred lettuce. Put it in the refrigerator so that it remains cold and crispy at serving time.

Then, cook pasta until tender but not downright floppy. We want the pasta to be somewhat cooler, so in this instance, it's okay to rinse it off with cool water a little bit so it no longer steams.

Meanwhile, cut steak into slices and sear with salt and pepper. Do this in a shallow pan and a tablespoon of oil in the pan. As the meat cooks, toss it around a bit. When it starts sticking to the pan, you're done in thirty seconds.

As the steak finishes, wash and half the red pepper. Faux roast a half on an electric range or carefully roast a half on a gas stove so that the outside is dark and toasty. While the pepper can still keep its shape, remove it carefully from the heat and slice lengthwise. It's a lovely and tasty garnish with dramatic flair during cooking!

Assembly for presentation:

Toss the lettuce and cooled pasta together evenly. Now add enough dressing to coat the pasta and lettuce in a toss. Put this tossed mix as a bed on a plate or in a bowl. With clean fingers, crumble some of the wedge of blue cheese. Now place the steak strips on top in no particular pattern. Lightly drizzle with blue cheese dressing (diners can add more to taste). Finally, garnish the top with the most aesthetic strips of red pepper providing remaining slices for your companion.

What you have is a colorful and healthy salad for the human omnivore. Most every need of nutrition is encompassed in this attractive dish that goes well with red wine, water, or even cola for the kiddies.

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Bryan Applegate is >Online Cooking's Associate Editor and does really cool things with 3d graphics!