~Jackie~
Salads have one of the best and worst reputations and a lot of us have a love/hate relationship with them. A common misconception is that salads are always healthy – this is definitely not the case. Sometimes you are better off eating a big bowl of mac n’ cheese than sinking your teeth into a loaded salad for dinner. The problem is all in the fixings; croutons, cheese, nuts, creamy dressing, bacon, fried chicken strips – these are the nasty culprits that destroy any health benefits to gain from a bright, nutritious salad. It is truly hard to have your salad and eat it too. How are we supposed to make a salad delicious if we can’t cover the lettuce and vegetables up with some cheese and ranch? Well, it is finding the right balance of a low-fat but flavorful vinaigrette dressing to top it with and loading it up with protein and fiber to keep you full and satisfied.
Chinese chicken salads have gained in popularity over the past 10 years. They can be found on fancy dinner menus to your local fast food drive through. My favorite salad in college was the Nikko Salad from Tokyo Joes… right up until I found out that it packs over 600 calories and 30 grams of fat…goodbye salad. You will save yourself a lot of fat and calories (and money!) by making your own salads and dressings than eating out or buying pre-made. Dressing can be as simple as drizzling a little extra virgin olive oil and a good balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon juice on your salad – delicious and you don’t even need a whisk! I like to add Dijon or a flavorful mustard to my dressing to give them a creaminess without the fat of mayonnaise. Some toppings that I love to add to my salads to make them a little creamier and heartier are: avocado, chickpeas, butternut squash, and sweet potato cubes.
My idea for this meal actually started with my love for salmon; it is easy to make and full of omega-3’s. I think salmon is best prepared with a mix of Asian flavors. My husband loves anything that is both sweet and spicy, so I decided to marinade my salmon filets in honey, sriracha, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. This would be a great marinade for chicken too on top of this salad if you’re not a fan of fish! Let the salmon marinade for an hour to overnight to get all the flavors in. You can then grill, bake, or pan sear the salmon before serving. I chose to pan sear mine in some sesame oil for about 4 minutes on each side until just pink in the middle. While the salmon is marinading you can make your simple dressing. The dressing pairs beautifully with the salmon because it has the same base ingredients. All you have to do is whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, garlic, honey, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and extra virgin olive oil and refrigerate. Lastly, prepare the salad ingredients and feel free to mix these up! My favorites are baby spinach (but cabbage is more traditional), edamame, avocado, red pepper, mandarin oranges, crushed peanuts, and fresh lime juice. Just chop veggies and add to the salad – the only thing you are cooking here is the salmon, easy! Finally top the salad with the seared salmon and add small spoonfuls of the dressing (whisk right before and do not overdress your salad; the flavors are so bright in the homemade dressing you do not need a lot). Try out this new twist on an original and get your seafood and veggie servings in for the day! Happy health!
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (or tamari for gf)
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 pound (2 filets) salmon
- sesame oil or canola oil to cook
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (or tamari for gf)
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup edamame shells, thawed
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup mandarian oranges
- 1/4 cup crushed peanuts
- fresh lime juice for garnish
- Place salmon filets in large bag and add the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sriracha, ginger, and garlic. Close tightly and gently mix ingredients and massage into salmon. Place in refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight.
- In small bowl combine dressing ingredients and whisk. Set aside or refrigerate until serving.
- Defrost the edamame shells if they are frozen. Prepare the spinach salad in two large bowls and top with desired chopped vegetables and mandarian oranges.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add in 2 teaspoons sesame or canola oil. Coat the bottom evenly with the oil and remove salmon from the marinade and add to pan. Cook until one side has browned, about 5 minutes and flip only once. Cook the second side about 4 minutes until mostly cooked through.
- Add the cooked salmon to the top of the salad and garnish with peanuts and lime juice. Whisk dressing once more before spooning over salad. Do not overdress the salad, a little dressing goes a long way.
- Enjoy your nutritious and delicious meal.
- Because there is honey in the salmon marinade it can burn easily when cooking. So don't add too much honey and keep an eye on the temperature while you are cooking the salmon.
