Beef Tenderloin Salad Serves about 6 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 ½ pounds 1-inch thick beef tenderloin steaks (this roughly equates to 5-6 steaks) 4 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed. Salad Dressing 1 ¼ cups olive oil (extra virgin olive oil, less pungent with a smoother consistency) 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (please do not substitute this for red wine vinegar, ick!!!) 3 tablespoons chopped chives - the fresh variety. 2 tablespoons orange juice ( if you choose to freshly squeeze, do so without pulp ) 2 tablespoons poppy seeds. Salad 1 cup fresh green beans, washed, trimmed and snapped. 1 head of Bibb Lettuce, torn (not chopped) into bite sized pieces. 1 head of Red Lettuce, torn (not chopped) into bite sized pieces. 3 small Roma Tomatoes, chopped into small diamond wedges. 1 16-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained. 1 cup of feta cheese, crumbled, about 4 ounces. ¾ cups chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, or cashews ( the nut of your choice ). 1 small red onion thinly sliced into rings. Heat oil in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Season the steaks with fresh ground pepper. Brown crushed garlic, do not burn, add meat and cook to desired doneness. This should be about 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer steaks to platter. Let stand until they are cool enough to handle. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. For dressing, whisk all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. For Salad, cook green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until just crisp - tender. Drain, rinse under cold water. Drain well, and pat dry. Combine beans, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Cut Tenderloin diagonally into thin slices. Add to salad, add dressing, toss to coat, and serve. Marna D. Engel - 1997