
Maybe it's the fireworks or the parades, but the beginning of July always feels like the start of one big summertime party. Yesterday, July 1st, was Canada Day and my family honored the day with a rousing (if not overly-dramatic and out-of-tune) rendition of "O Canada!" as we sat down at the breakfast table. Given that we live in the U.S., the maple-leafed proceedings are getting them warmed up for July 4th, just a couple of days away. It's time to man the barbecue, pull out the sparklers and cue the red, white and blue-adorned ATVs, riding lawnmowers and horses that ride in our neighborhood parade every year. It's quite the sight! And let's not forget the food. What is a patriotic celebration without seared, juicy steak and blueberry ice cream pie?

Happy Canada Day!
The past several days have brought smoking hot temperatures to Utah and we found ourselves spending too much time sitting inside, giving thanks to the air-conditioning gods. Those of you who have kids, and particularly boys, know what happens when you spend too much time indoors.
It looks something like this:

It's all fun and games until...well, you know.
My husband had the inspired idea to march the boys off to get into their bathing suits, pull out the hoses and sponges, and wash our cars.
They burned off energy, they cooled down under the hoses, the cars became sparkly and I got to capture some pictures. We killed about four birds with one stone. Brilliant!

A couple of hours before dinner I threw a flank steak into a simple marinade of soy sauce, smoked paprika, garlic, white wine vinegar and a touch of oil. When dinnertime rolled around, we grilled the steak (that takes no more than 10 minutes), thinly sliced the juicy meat and lay it on a bed of greens alongside some red bell pepper and cucumbers. A drizzle of smoked paprika dressing finished off this easy and healthy salad.
As satisfying as this salad was, I knew I needed to pair it with something else to fill up the hungry bellies at our table. I served the grilled steak salads with Bush's Grillin' Beans Black Bean Fiesta. The black beans are simmered in a sauce of chipotle peppers, which echoes the smokiness of the smoked paprika in the steak marinade and dressing, and are studded with the summertime flavors of corn and red peppers. This is one of my favorite flavors of the Grillin' Beans. Not only do they taste great, but a half-cup has a mere 110 calories and 2 grams of sugar while packing a punch of protein and fiber (5 grams each).
This would be the perfect dish to share at your Fourth of July barbecue. If you prefer, toss the salad in one big bowl and let everyone serve themselves. The steak can be grilled several hours in advance and served at room temperature.
The recipe:
The steak:
In a large glass dish, whisk together the soy sauce, white wine vinegar, canola oil, garlic, smoked paprika and pepper.
Add the flank steak and turn to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for approximately 2 hours.
Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grill.

Remove the steak from the marinade and discard the marinade.
Grill the flank steak to desired degree of doneness, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.
Let the steak rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut in thin slices across the grain.
The dressing:
Whisk together port wine vinegar (sherry vinegar will also work here), smoked paprika and salt. Slowly pour in olive oil, whisking constantly.

Putting it together:
Divide the spring greens between four dinner plates or large bowl. Top with the flank steak, red bell pepper and cucumber. Drizzle with some of the dressing and serve. Use more dressing, if desired.

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Grilled Flank Steak Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
The Steak:
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 Β½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- Β½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ΒΌ pounds flank steak
Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon port wine or sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
The Salad:
- 6 cups spring greens
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup sliced English cucumber
Instructions
The Steak:
- In a large glass dish, whisk together the soy sauce, white wine vinegar, canola oil, garlic, smoked paprika and pepper.
- Add the flank steak and turn to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for approximately 2 hours.
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grill.
- Remove the steak from the marinade and discard the marinade.
- Grill the flank steak to desired degree of doneness, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.
- Let the steak rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut in thin slices across the grain.
The Dressing:
- Whisk together port wine vinegar (sherry vinegar will also work here), smoked paprika and salt. Slowly pour in olive oil, whisking constantly.
- Putting it together:
- Divide the spring greens between four dinner plates or large bowl. Top with the flank steak, red bell pepper and cucumber. Drizzle with some of the dressing and serve. Serve with additional dressing, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by the good people at Bush's Beans. In addition, they supplied me with the beans that are pictured in the post.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Bush's Beans. In addition, they supplied me with the beans that are pictured in the post. All opinions are my own. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.






Val @Bonbon Break
Flank is easily the favorite beef cut in our house and this new marinade might just shove our previous favorite aside. This sounds wonderful. The addition of the smoked paprika will work wonderfully with the grilled flavor. You are brilliant! Thanks for this great beat the heat recipe. Pinning it!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
I am going to try this for sure. We are huge flank steak fans! Love the smoked paprika twist
KalynsKitchen
Please send the kids over pronto to wash my car. I knew I wished I lived next door to you. (The salad looks great!)
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective
Sweet Moses, does that look good! Dara, you have such a way of making hearty dishes look light and refreshing!
Lauren
I wish it would warm up a little more in Oregon! Still in the low 70's. Sounds like a great salad! Tucking this one away in my back pocket for later π Love this, Dara!
Deborah
Such a fun filled week - getting to celebrate both Canada Day and the 4th of July! Love this salad and all of the flavors. And your boys are just too cute!
Bev @ Bev Cooks
Thiiiiiiis just DOES it for me.
Ali @ Gimme Some Oven
YUM! That's funny -- I'm actually making a steak salad with roasted red peppers right now. Yours looks delicious! π
Jeanette
Happy Canada Day and Happy 4th of July Dara! I'm a big fan of smoked paprika - what a great idea for a dressing.
Blog is the New Black
Love flank steak- this looks terrific!