Vietnamese Steak Salad

I tried another great recipe from The Wanderlust Kitchen last night. I fiddled with it a bit based on what I felt was right in my gut (I never used to do this by the way. Never strayed from a recipe. Now I'm wild and crazy), and it was fantastic. I enjoyed it even more for lunch today. My husband once again raved about it as we ate dinner tonight (after eating it for a second time for lunch today), stating it has been one of his most favorite things I've made since he started his lower-carb diet. It's good. It's fast. It's fresh. It's pleasantly crunchy and full of yummy stuff. Give it a go, why don't ya?

Vietnamese Steak Salad
-adapted from thewanderlustkitchen.com

For the steak and marinade:
- 1 1/2 lbs sirloin steak, sliced thin
-5 cloves garlic, minced
-1 T. oyster sauce
-1 T. brown sugar
-1 T. fish sauce
-1 t. sesame oil
-1 t. soy sauce

For the salad:
-3 cups green cabbage, chopped
-1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
-1 cup chopped cucumber
-1/2 cup chopped cilantro
-1/2 cup chopped cashews or roasted peanuts
-1/4 large red onion, minced fine

For the dressing:
-2 T. canola oil
-1/3 cup rice vinegar
-1 T. soy sauce
-1 T. brown sugar
-juice from half a lime

Mix marinade ingredients together and marinate steak for at least one hour, or up to 24. Heat some canola oil in a large skillet and stir-fry the beef in 2 batches, until done and nicely browned (this will only take a few minutes per batch). Meanwhile, whisk all dressing ingredients together and toss with salad ingredients (don't use all the dressing right away, you might not need it). Top with steak and toss well. I am here to tell you that the already dressed salad was still fantastic and crunchy for lunch today. Yet another virtue of cabbage.