Recipe: Grilled steak and peppers salad with pears

Grill whole bell peppers along with steak, then add pear slices, and you have the foundation of a delicious and colorful Italian-influenced salad.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (4 oz) white-wheat rotini pasta (uncooked)
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 12 ounces boneless choice beef top sirloin
• 2 pears
• 3 cups arugula
• 1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

For Vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons distilled vinegar
• 1/4 cup 100% white grape juice or apple juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 tablespoon Italian herb blend, salt-free

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, grape or apple juice, salt, and herb blend.

1. Boil water and cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta, rinse in cool water.
2. Heat grill, rub peppers with 1/2 tsp olive oil. Grill whole peppers, turning as needed, until skin begins to brown and bubble. At the same time, grill beef sirloin to 145 °F, turning once. Remove from grill, let cool slightly.
3. Slice peppers into strips, discarding seeds and stem. Cut sirloin across the grain into thin slices. Slice pears into thin wedges.
4. Toss arugula and pasta in large bowl.
5. To serve, evenly divide pasta-arugula onto four plates, arrange beef, peppers, and pears on top, drizzle with vinaigrette, and sprinkle with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.