I don’t know if you can relate, but I have to wear a bathing suit in a few short months. It’s bad enough that my skin is winter-pale and scaly but having a few kilograms extra of it laying about isn’t helping. I have 3 months until this body hits the beach and so I’ve started making small, but consistently better food choices and I’m hoping that with my new salad regime there’ll be a little bit less of me to offend the other holiday-makers. As soon I decide that it’s time to cut-down on the pork scratchings and lunch-time curries, I immediately feel more hungry. I know it’s all in my head but it’s the biggest reason for healthy eating habits to fail. So to ensure that my healthier eating choices stick, I make sure that I don’t feel as if I’m going without and for me that means food that looks and tastes beautiful.
I love smoked salmon but I usually want to eat it with cream cheese and a bagel. So instead, I enjoy my smoked salmon treat by making a salad out of it and the best part about this recipe is that because of all the strong flavours and textures, it feels like a robust meal. By finely dicing all the ingredients, you end up focusing on the taste instead of the shape; the toothsome sourness of the capers, the soft and salty salmon, the crispy and juicy crunch of the cucumber and creamy richness of the avocado all tied together with a burst of lemon juice.
With no hidden naughties like fatty dressing or carbs, this salad is perfect for anyone following a paleo or low-carb regime and the natural fats in the salmon and avocado will help to keep you fuller for longer. One small step for me, one giant leap for my summer slimming efforts.
Skinny Smoked Salmon Salad
Ingredients (all diced):
2 slices of smoked salmon
1 spring onion
1 tomato
3 inches of cucumber
1/2 red pepper
2 tbs capers
3-4 springs of dill (fresh is best)
1/2 avocado
1/2 Romaine lettuce (optional, use a whole head if you need to)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon, salt and lots of pepper
Method:
Toss all the ingredients together and dress with lemon juice, season with plenty of salt and pepper.