Salads You'll Crave

It's the same thing over and over, it happens to all of us.  You decide to eat healthy and then all of a sudden you start craving junky bad food and sticking to your healthy choices seems impossible.  Well after many many years of struggling, I have come up with a few healthy and actually delicious salads that I always go to when I need a healthy fix.  Welcome to Salad's You'll Crave, a series of my favourite and most craveworthy salads.

A modern take on a classic Nicoise salad
TJ's Salad Nicoise:
This is a fun modern take on the classic Nicoise salad.  We like to spice it up with some extra goodies too.  This serves two people generously, adjust to serve your part size.

Salad:

• 2 smaller filets of salmon (fresh or frozen)
• 4 tbsp canola oil
• 4 cloves garlic 2 minced and 2 cleaned and cut in half
• 1 zucchini sliced
• 1 small bunch of green onions sliced
• 1 small head of Boston (or your choice) lettuce
• 2 hard boiled eggs, cleaned and sliced in 4
• generous bunch of green beans cleaned, not cooked.  Frozen ones will work great
• 1 cup coarsely chopped mixed mushrooms 
• 1 lemon, half sliced half juiced
• 1 avocado sliced and sprinkled with lime juice
• crumbled blue cheese
• handful of sliced dry roasted almonds
• 1/2 package of Parisienne potatoes package in water
• 3 tsp Italian herbs

Preheat your oven to 425ºF meanwhile, rip a large sheet of aluminium foil and lay on a baking sheet.  Grab half the green beans and lay it down on the aluminium foil, drizzle with a little lemon juice.  Lay the salmon on top of the green beans and drizzle with more lemon juice, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and generous amount of fresh ground black pepper.  Lay half the lemon slices on the fish, saving the remaining ones for the second filet.   Repeat this process on a separate sheet of aluminium foil for the other filet of salmon.  Fold aluminium foil into pouches.  Place in preheated oven and bake until fish is cooked through.  This depends on the size of the filet and whether or not you are using fresh or frozen salmon.

While the salmon bakes, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and sauté mushrooms until they start to soften.  Add half the minced garlic and cook until mushrooms and tender.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Repeat this same process with the zucchinis but just before they are tender, throw in the sliced green onions.  Don't forget to salt and pepper the zucchinis as well.  

In a separate fry pan, heat the remaining oil and toss in the rinsed and drained Parisienne potatoes.  Add the Italian spices, fresh ground pepper and lightly sprinkle with salt.  Add the last bit of minced garlic and sauté until heated through and desired texture is achieved.  

Vinaigrette:

• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 2 pinches salt
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tspn dijon mustard

Mix all ingredients except the olive oil.  Once all is mixed, drizzle and whisk in the olive oil.  

Platting the salad is the fun part.  So many ingredients, so many colours, this dish is just so much fun!  I start by laying out the lettuce, then I add the salmon, green beans, hard boiled egg, avocado, sautéed mushrooms and zucchinis, and potatoes.  Then I like to sprinkle the almonds and blue cheese all over before drizzling the plate with the lemon vinaigrette.