Crispy Ribs Salad

Someone complained to me this week that losing weight is too hard even with regular exercise because he/she loves red meat too too much. Sigh, don't I know it! I too love red meat more than many other foods. Still, there are many reasons to eat less meat: you'll save money, help the environment, and stave off the extra pounds. And when you do eat meat, make sure it's good!

Tonight we're having slow-cooked Prather Ranch ribs, but instead of each eating slab of meat with bread, rice, or potatoes we're balancing our meal with plenty of colorful vegetables. It's ideal for me because I get all the flavor of beef without that heavy feeling you get after eating too much greasy food. Like I keep telling people: if you take the effort to make sure you're actually eating 5 fruits and vegetables every day, you shouldn't have that much room left for the tasty but less healthy foods we all love.


First, I salt and peppered the ribs and stuck garlic slivers in several slits in the meat, then wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and baked for almost four hours in a 200 degree oven. When I was ready to eat I took off the foil and crisped the meat on the outside, then cut it into small pieces and set aside.


The salad is mixed greens tossed with a little garlic dressing, then topped with toasted flax seeds (or sesame seeds) and finely slivered carrots. Beets, corn, tomatoes, roasted asparagus, or roasted bell peppers would have made it even more delicious.