Food | Steak with Herb Sauce

"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook"
~Julia Child



I’m on a diet. Well not really a diet, it’s more of a reigning in program. Initially it crossed my mind not to share this information, for fear of you thinking that I am some sort of serial dieter- which I am not. But after a week of extreme indulgence in the desert oasis that is Palm Springs, I feel the need to reign things in. It’s not pretty when things get out of hand…

This incarnation of “Bianca does a diet” isn’t a 21 days cleanse, it’s a diet called the Dukan Diet. It’s like Atkins for five days, and then it’s like The South Beach diet thereafter- stressing healthy proteins, whole grains, vegetables and lots of water.

I mean, I don’t really need a program per se, I know HOW to eat; but what appeals to me about following a prescribed diet is the knowledge that as long as I follow the plan, the results will follow.

In any case, for the next week I can only eat lean proteins and oat bran cereal. There isn’t much that one can do to jazz up oat bran cereal with skim milk; but lean meats are an open book. Seeing as I am a carnivore at heart I was excited to enter the first phase of this diet plan; and because it lasts a mere five days, by the time I feel like I might break and binge on something carbohydrate laden, it will be time for the South Beach-esque phase of this program to begin.

Meat is meat, plain and simple; and when cooked properly all that it needs is a skiv of sea salt and pepper and divinity is reached. And though I am relegated to meat for only five days, salted meat would grow tiresome after two days. So I did what anyone would do, I made an herb sauce!



An herb sauce of any kind is a healthy eating staple; the infusion of flavor that this simple sauce delivers to a dish- in my case steak- is undeniable. What is amazing about an herb sauce is that it can be made with any herb, any acid and any oil- it’s a bespoke sauce for the discerning foodie.

I made enough of this sauce to last a week, so that in a bind I’d have an easy flavor booster on hand; because let’s be honest here, diets are legendarily known as a life sentence in a tasteless purgatory. But purgatory this is not- I’m headed to taste heaven with steak bathed in herb sauce!



Steak with Herb Sauce

3 oz. grilling steak
1 cup fresh cilantro, trimmed of stems
½ cup fresh basil, trimmed of stems
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves
¾ tsp dried red chili flakes
½ tbsp cumin
1 tbsp salt
½ cup olive oil + 1 tbsp

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan heated to medium high heat. Season the steak on both sides with ½ tbsp of salt. Place in the heated pan and cook for 3 minutes per side- to achieve medium- medium rare. Remove from the pan and wrap securely with foil for 5 minutes- to allow for the meat to rest.

Meanwhile in a food processor, add all the remaining ingredients, with the exception of the oil; power on and slowly add the all the oil. Once completely blended, taste and adjust seasoning if need be.

Slice the steak into strips and garnish generously with the herb sauce.