The time of year is coming when I begin making salad after salad after salad. It’s one of my favorite things to eat and, truth be told, I actually eat salad year round. My son has cringed on more than one occasion when I’ve made salad for breakfast. It’s really not complicated. I just love salads.
We like to make a giant tuna or chicken salad to serve as lunches throughout the week. It’s also something that I can quickly take for post-workout. I load my salads with so many vegetables that it really satisfies my desire to have a big plate of something delicious, too. Since I’m a fan of savory-sweet combinations, I often throw in some kind of fruit when I’m making one.
On this occasion, I added pineapple which also made an appearance in the dressing. If I’d had some coconut flakes on hand, those would have been nice toasted with a touch of salt and maybe a little allspice. I added red pepper flakes to mine when I served it and really appreciated how they kicked up the flavor. So go ahead and experiment – whatever helps get more vegetables on the plate seems like a great idea to me!
Tropical Tuna Salad with Lemon-Ginger Dressing
Salad
20 oz. of tuna, drained
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
16 oz. slaw (I used bagged slaw because it was fast)
20 oz. can of pineapple tidbits in juice, drained, reserving juice
1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted
Dressing
1/4 c. of reserved pineapple juice
1/4 oz. fresh ginger, grated about 2 tsp.
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice from a whole lemon
2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. Paleo Mayo
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper or red pepper flakes, optional
Directions
1) In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
2) Add all of the salad ingredients, except the toasted almonds, to the bowl with the dressing.
3) Toss the salad thoroughly, making sure all of the dressing is integrated.
4) Allow the salad to sit for about 10 minutes in the fridge so the flavors can meld.
5) Toss again, taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes as desired.
Serves 4-6
