Layla Bonilla of Garner was a two-day winner in the N.C. State Fair’s Home Chef Challenge, winning the Tip to Sirloin Steak Salad contest Wednesday, Oct. 19, and the Healthy Grain Bowl
Challenge presented by Wegmans on Tuesday, Oct. 18. The winning recipes showcased Bonilla’s culinary range as one recipe featured a steak and salad dish and the second was a vegan veggie dish.
Bonilla’s winning Garden Salad with Sirloin Steak earned her $500. Second place honors in the Tip to Sirloin Steak Salad Home Chef Challenge went to Shelly Alwine of Lillington for her “Fall” for This Sirloin Steak Salad. She earned $300 for the second-place entry. Emily Hutchens of Chapel Hill earned $200 and third-place honors for her Hearty Steak and Potato Salad.
In the Healthy Grain Bowl Challenge presented by Wegman’s, Bonilla’s Vegan Veggie Grain Bowl
took top honors. Bradley Layton of Apex earned second-place honors and $300 for his Harvest Brown Rice Bowl. Karen Allen of Holly Springs won third place and $200 for her Bryan’s Brainy Roasted Acorn Squash Bowl.
The winning recipes follow:
Garden Salad with Sirloin Steak
Raw Veggies
- 4 cups roughly chopped Romaine
- 1 cup arugula, bite-sized
- ½ cup cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
- 1/3 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/3 cup radish, shredded
- ¼ cup African blue basil, tightly packed
- ¼ cup of tulsi basil, tightly packed
- ¼ cup nasturtium, tightly packed
- 2 tablespoons perilla, tightly packed
- 2 tablespoons sorrel, tightly packed
- 1 teaspoon mint, tightly packed
- 1 tablespoon garlic chives
- 1 tablespoon green onion for optional garnish
Steak
- 1-pound sirloin tip steak
- ½ cup dried plum, diced
- ¼ cup serrano or ahi peppers, sliced into thin rings
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- ½ teaspoon shitake mushroom powder
- ¼ teaspoon pink salt
- ¼ teaspoon black garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon anchovy paste
Dressing
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup fig balsamic
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame seed, divided
Instructions:
Harvest, wash and chop all greens to desired size, then refrigerate in a large bowl until ready to serve. Harvest, wash and chop all raw veggies to desired size, then refrigerate in a medium bowl until ready to serve.
Mix dressing ingredients in 1 cup glass measuring cup, excluding sesame seed. Microwave in 15-second bursts on half power to melt brown sugar. Once melted, stir in 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds. Reserve extra sesame seeds for garnish on finished salad.
Season steak by rubbing anchovy paste, salt and spices into each side. Sear steak 1 minute each side on high heat in a non-stick skillet/ Remove steak from pan. Add ½ cup prepared dressing, small diced prunes and pepper rings to pan, cook on medium heat for three minutes. Add steak back to pan and cook in sauce for two minutes each side. Remove and let rest. Cut thinly at a slight angle.
Serve in a wide, shallow bowl. Layer the greens, then the veggies, then drizzle with dressing. Finish with a layer of steak strips and optional garnish of sesame seeds, garlic chives and/or green onions. Serves four.
Vegan Veggie Grain Bowl
Mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 lbs. shitake mushroom caps (stems removed)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Veggies
- 2 cups sweet potato
- 1 ½ zucchini
- ½ cup onion
- serrano or ahi pepper, sliced
- olive oil, as needed
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Rice
- 1 ½ cups brown rice
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed
- 2 bay leaves
Fresh ingredients
- 1 cup sorrell
- ¼ cup basil
- ¼ cup nasturtium leaf or arugula
- Garlic chive
Instructions
Cook rice according to package directions, with added fennel seed and bay leaf.
Cube sweet potatoes into medium-sized bites. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a large baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, tossing halfway through 25 to 30 minutes. Leave in a warm oven until ready to serve.
Slice zucchini into ½ inch slices, quarter or half into bite-sized pieces. Toss with enough olive oil, salt and pepper to coat. Pack zucchini into a grill basket and grill on medium high, five minutes on each side. Add zucchini to the roasting pan with sweet potatoes until ready to serve.
Prepare the mushrooms: Rinse the mushrooms and wipe them dry. Cut the caps into thick slices. Heat vegetable oil in an iron skillet. Saute the mushrooms for 5-7 minutes or until they’ve released their juices and are beginning to turn golden. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
Heat the sesame oil in the same saute pan. Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute. Add the brown sugar and saute until it begins to caramelize. Add the tamari and cornstarch slurry. Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes.
Return the mushrooms to the pan and allow them to heat through. Leave in the skillet until ready to assemble the rice bowl.
Roughly chop greens and finely dice garlic chives for garnish. Serve by adding rice into a wide, shallow bowl, mix greens into rice and top with veggie mix and shitake mushrooms. Garnish with garlic chives and sesame seeds.
Serves four.
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