Creamy Avocado Dressing/Dip

I recently came across a recipe from from myrecipes.com, to spice up my salad dressing. I made some major alteration as I was missing some of the ingredients, but it turned out really good. Say good-bye to boring salad dressings. This is really good as a dip too! Tastes very similar to cilantro hummus.


Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: none

INGREDIENTS

2 garlic cloves, minced 
1 persian cucumber 
1 avocado, peeled and pitted 
1 cup cilantro 
2  green onions 
Fresh juice of 1 lime 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
1 teaspoon sea salt


WHAT TO DO
1 Puree everything in a blender or preferably in a food processor.

2 Add 1/4 cup water at a time to your desired consistency.


TIP
Leave it thick by not adding the water and use it as a dip for your veggies.

Sweet and Salty Glazed Salmon Salad

You'll love this light, sweet and salty fish dish that helps promote the production of healthy stomach acids.  The sauce tastes similar to the ponzu sauce you would get at a sushi restaurant, but a lighter version of it.

This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart's, Soy-Glazed Salmon with Watercress Salad.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
4 Tbsp gluten-free light soy sauce
4 Tbsp honey
2 oranges, peeled, flesh cut into segments, and juice squeezed from membranes (about 4 tablespoons)
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
2 tsp rice vinegar
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each)
1 bag (6 oz.) organic baby spinach
1 small carrot, sliced in strips
1 Tbsp sesame seeds


WHAT TO DO
1 In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, 3 tablespoons honey, and orange juice; season with salt and pepper.  In a larger bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons glaze, rice vinegar, and oil; set dressing aside.

2  Heat broiler, with rack 4 inches from heat.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. 

3 Season salmon with salt and pepper and broil for 5 minutes.

4 Remove fish from oven, brush with glaze, then broil until opaque throughout, about 2 minutes, brushing with glaze once more.  You can reserve some of the glaze to pour over the fish on the plate.

5 Add orange segments, spinach, and carrots to dressing and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper. 

6 Divide salad among four plates and top with salmon.  Sprinkle everything with sesame seeds.  Serve immediately.

Rice Noodle Salad

Ginger, cilantro and mint help support a healthy immune system as well as incorporates great flavors for this exotic and healthy salad inspired from Vietnam.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: none

INGREDIENTS

4 oz. rice vermicelli noodles
2 persian cucumbers, matchstick
2 medium spicy red peppers, seeded, and minced
1 thumb sized fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 Tbsp fish sauce
2 - 3 limes, juiced
3 cups cilantro, rough chop
2 cups green onions, chopped
1 heads of romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
3 cups fresh mint, rough chop


WHAT TO DO
1 Prepare noodles according to the package directions.

2 Mix the peppers, ginger, fish sauce, and lime juice, in a large bowl.

3 Add the noodles, cucumbers, cilantro, green onions, and lettuce to the sauce and toss well.

4 Serve and enjoy immediately.


TIP
To save time, make the dressing, prep the greens and noodles up to 1-2 days ahead of time.

Salmon Poke

I never used to like raw fish, but this recipe changed my mind. It's delicious and keeps you coming back for more. If you get really fresh fish, this dish tastes NOTHING like fish! It's great for an appetizer and even better with beer! Almost forgot to mention that fish is a great source of protein and omega fatty acids (brain food)!!

INGREDIENTS
1 lb.  fresh sushi grade Salmon, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tsp course sea salt
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 stalk green onions, chopped
1/4 cup Ono seaweed
1 small cucumber, diced


WHAT TO DO
Mix all the ingredients and refrigerate for a couple of hours to make the flavors incorporate, or if you're like me, just eat it right away and......enjoy!

TIP: 
You can use any type of fresh grade sushi fish.

Vietnamese Salad and Dressing

This refreshing salad is great for summer. It's light, fresh, and delicious!! The thing to keep in mind is to have all your ingredients FRESH! This of course is a salad and if anything is old, you will definitely taste it! I used the mint and cilantro from my mini-garden!

I usually prepare the marinated beef/chicken ahead of time to save time. Once you're ready to prepare the salad, just stir fry the meat quickly on high heat in a wok. While cooking you can prepare the salad. Once the meat is cooked, place it on top of the prepared salad and enjoy with the dressing. The dressing is very light as well and add as much or as little as you want to your Fresh Summer Vietnamese Salad. 

 

Serves 4

Salad

3 heads of Romaine Lettuce, torn up into bite size pieces, washed and spun dried

1 - 8oz package of rice noodles, prepared

1 lb. Marinated Lemon grass chicken or beef, pan fried

1 cup Shredded Carrots
1 cup Bean Sprouts

Mint leaves

Cilantro leaves (optional)

Salad Dressing
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup fish sauce
1/8 cup water
1/2 a lime, squeezed
Shredded Carrots
1-2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper paste