Grilled Spicy Filet Mignon Salad with Ginger-Lime Dressing (adapted from Bobby Flay)

After a day of watching the Food Network with my family yesterday and drooling over practically everything, Chad and I decided to try something new. So I went to the Food Network website and try something out...you can narrow down recipes by ingredient, chef, cuisine, etc.

Me: Ok...what cuisine?

Chad: Thai (I type in Thai and it came up with hundreds of recipes)

Me: Beef, pork, or chicken?
Chad: Beef (click)
Me: Grill or saute'?
Chad: Grill (click)
Me: Which show? (I give him the list)
Chad: Oh yeah baby, Boy Meets Grill (click)
Me: Ok, here are your three choices

And let me tell you, he chose the best one. We were practically licking our plates (ok, I drank the dressing that was left over, not quite licking...right?!?). The kids also cleaned their plates.
We did make a few changes because we didn't have everything listed on the original recipe...but here is what we did:

Marinade:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon chili paste with garlic
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 (12-ounce) filet mignons
Freshly ground pepper

Whisk soy sauce, lime juice, chile paste, and sesame oil together in a small baking dish. Add the steaks, turn to coat, cover, and let marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before grilling.
Heat grill to high. Remove steaks from marinade and pat dry. Season both sides with pepper and grill for 3 minutes per side or until slightly charred and cooked to medium-rare doneness. Remove from the grill, let rest 5 minutes, and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup chiffonade basil
1/2 English cucumber, halved and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 carrots, julienned
16 cherry tomatoes, halved

a handful of chopped chives

While steak is resting, combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Toss with half of the dressing and season with chopped chives, salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter, top with the steak, and drizzle the remaining dressing over the top.

Ginger-Lime Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
a sprinkling of crushed red pepper (we left that part out for the kids)
Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Let sit 10 minutes before using.