Asian-inspired Salmon Salad *Repost*

Another throwback from the old site- it's salad season!

My name is Julia, and I'm a salad-aholic.  Salads don't have to be boring and they can be really filling, contrary to popular belief (I actually have been working on eating this one for the past hour and a half). I also like salads because they are uber-versatile; you can pretty much throw in anything you have laying around, and they're a great way to enjoy your favorite ethnic flavors without ingesting a bunch of heavy stuff like rice, cheese, or noodles.

For this particular salad, I had some salmon in the fridge and an avocado on the brink of over-ripeness. I love the dressing they have at one of my local Japanese places, so I decided to model it after that; it tastes kind of like a peanut sauce, and I pretty much have almond butter coming out of my ears at the moment, which is the perfect base for a cleaned up version.

So, I just grilled some salmon, made my dressing, and put it all together with some stuff from the salad bar at my work. Sorry, the cell phone pic doesn't really do it justice; it was quite the beautiful salad!



1 portion of wild salmon, 4-6 oz

1 TBS sesame seed

1TBS coconut oil
1 small avocado, sliced (half would probably be plenty, I just love me some avocado!)

A few cups romaine or your favorite salad greens

Some shredded carrot, onion, and cucumber



Dressing:

This makes about six servings, I think it should keep for a week or so in the fridge

2 TBS creamy almond butter

1 TBS honey

1 TBS +1 tsp cider vinegar
2 drops chili oil (not essential if you don't have it; it just adds another layer of flavor)

2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 TBS finely chopped fresh ginger

Some water, maybe 2 TBS



Make the dressing:

-You may want to melt the almond butter slightly (especially if it's the bottom of the jar) so it's easier to combine with the other ingredients; it only takes a couple minutes to do this on the stove
-Whisk all ingredients together; add the water if you'd like to thin it out a little



Grill the salmon:

-I did mine on the good ol' Foreman  I'd recommend laying down some non-stick foil if using a real grill (no offense George, I love your grill too)
-Smear the coconut oil on both sides of the salmon, and sprinkle on the sesame seeds.  Pat them down a little to make sure they adhere to the fish
-Grill the salmon; I just did a minute on each side because mine was pretty thin, and I like it a little on the rare side.  I always find the top plate on the Foreman grill to be hotter than the bottom, so I do flip whatever I am preparing on it.

I'm sure you can figure out the rest; I prepared the dressing and fish the night before, and had everything chilled (I am not a fan of microwaves, so I try to avoid bringing stuff to work that needs reheating; more on that later!)  Like I said before, this salad really can keep you satisfied all afternoon; it's full of fiber, good fats, and protein, don't underestimate the mighty salad! :)