Father’s Day Recipes

This father’s day, you may be thinking of making your dad (or the dad of your kids!) a special meal, but rather than loading him up with the stereotypical guy favorites, like steak and potatoes, why not consider a more vibrant meal for the dads in your life? June is also Men’s Health Month, so what better time to help Dad kick off a few new good-health habits? This delicious meal from Chef Q puts a healthy twist on old favorites. Kale goes into the Caesar salad, the steak is lean, protein-rich flank steak with vibrant flavors from a marinade full of healthful ingredients. The side is fantastic but easy broiled tomatoes, and instead of a starchy white potato, I’ve got a delectable sweet potato with a creamy topping Dad is going to love. And so will everyone else! I hope you’ll try some or all of these recipes this Father’s Day—and let me know how you liked them!

Kale and Romaine Caesar Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup vegan mayo, paleo mayo, or Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons chicken or veggie stock or water

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional but adds great flavor)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 large heads Romaine or red leaf lettuce, chopped

2 bunches Dino kale, destemmed and massaged until wilted

2 hard boiled eggs, crumbled or diced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cucumber, diced

12 pitted kalamata olives

1/2 red onion chopped

Instructions

1. Using a whisk, combine the mayo, garlic, stock, lemon juice, olive oil, anchovy paste, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
2. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for the dressing for at least one hour to let flavor develop.
3. In a large bowl, toss the lettuce and kale together. Add the hard boiled eggs, bell pepper, cucumber, olives, and red onion, and toss it all together. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and serve.

Cast Iron Flank Steak

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 3-pound flank steak or 2 smaller flanks

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons tamari sauce

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon pepper

4 tablespoons avocado or grape seed oil

Instructions

1. Using a fork, poke holes in the steak.
2. In a large bowl, combine the Worcestershire sauce, tamari, honey, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper to make a marinade. Put the steak in a shallow bowl, pan, or sealable plastic bag and let it marinate for 2 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. The longer the steak marinates, the stronger the flavor.
3. Bring the steak out of refrigerator and let it sit for one hour before cooking (so it can come to room temperature).
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
5. Heat a large cast iron skillet and add the avocado oil. Once the oil is hot, add the steak and sear it for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
6. Move the cast iron skillet to the oven and cook until the steak’s internal temperature reaches 140 degrees (the steak will be rare). When it’s done, remove the steak from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.
7. Slice the steak thin against the bias and serve.

Broiled Summer Tomatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 large heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes sliced into 1/2 inch rounds

2 tablespoons avocado oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 teaspoons pepper

Crumbled feta (optional)

4 basil leaves julienned

Instructions

1. Set the oven to broil.
2. On a large baking sheet, arrange the sliced tomatoes in rows. Drizzle them with avocado oil and sprinkle them with garlic, salt, and pepper. Crumble the feta over the tops, if you are using it.
3. Put the tomatoes under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they start to look golden-brown and crisp. Take them out of the oven and sprinkle them with fresh basil.

Perfectly Baked Sweet Potato with Chive Aioli

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 medium sweet potatoes, washed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup of paleo mayo or Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon of minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon minced chives

1 teaspoon minced or dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Using a fork, poke holes in the sweet potatoes. Roll the potatoes in olive oil and sprinkle them with the sea salt and pepper.
2. Put the potatoes on a greased baking sheet and bake until the juices begin to bubble out of the potatoes, about 35 to 40 minutes.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and check with a fork to see if they are fully cooked. A fork should go through the flesh very easily.
4. In a small metal bowl, whisk the mayo or Greek yogurt, garlic, chives, parsley, salt, and pepper, and let the aioli sit in fridge covered for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Slice open the potatoes and drizzle the aioli inside the potatoes.