Tag: salad

1 Week of ‘Girl Dinners’ for Lunch

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I’m yet again on a health journey – will fill you in later – and my doctor has suggested: a return to paleo eating, a supplement regimen and not eating leftovers as we attempt to fix my gut.

This is proving difficult. Paleo is fine – no worries there – but wrapping my brain around not only not batch cooking but aiming for no leftovers is doing my head in.

How am I supposed to cook recipes if I’m only cooking 2 portions? Or not even 2 sometimes – 1?

My solution for now: smoothies for breakfast, ‘girl dinner’ charcuterie plates for lunch & dinners of simple veg (maybe) & a single serving protein like steak or salmon.

Here is the breakdown of a whole week’s worth of my charcuterie lunches. If you’ve got any suggestions for paleo-friendly additions, let me know!

gluten-free, paleo, vegetables, meat

Monday

Hand fulls of cherries, blue berries and dill pickle flavored cashews; 4 radishes; 1/4 red bell pepper: 3 Tbsp garlic hummus; 2 oz smoked deli turkey; 3 oz steak (this was a cheat and a leftover, but come on … I wasn’t wasting steak)

Tuesday

Hand fulls of blueberries, cherry tomatoes, cherries & trail mix; almost double hand full of carrot coins; 3 Tbsp garlic hummus with chili crisp; 1/4 red pepper; 3 radishes; 4 oz smoked turkey

Wednesday

Hand full: sugar snap peas, carrot coins, blueberries & cherries; 4 radishes; 1/4 red bell pepper; 3oz smoked turkey; 3 oz turkey kielbasa; vegan yogurt with ranch powder

Thursday

Hand full: carrots, sugar snap peas; hand & a half (the rest of) the blueberries & cherries, 1/4 red pepper, 5oz turkey kielbasa with a blob of English mustard; soy yogurt with ranch powder; salad chips

Friday

Big hand fulls of: carrot coins, sugar snap peas & cherry tomatoes; soy yogurt ranch; the rest of the Salad chips; 5oz turkey kielbasa with 2 bread + butter pickle slices and British mustard

And that’s the week. I think it was a success. I suppose I technically ate leftovers, since the yogurt carried on and the meats were repeated, but I don’t think it’s practical to have a no-leftover life unless you’re relying on premade foods.

I think I’ll carry this experiment on as I’ve rather enjoyed having nibble plates for lunch.

Let me know what you’d put in yours!

Carrot Pistachio Salad

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A quick salad to serve with Air Fryer Dilled Salmon (recipe to come), for a light dinner.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

Carrot Pistachio Salad

1-2c Carrot coins

1 Tbsp Date molasses 

3 cloves garlic, Crushed

2-3 glugs Olive oil 

Salt & pepper

2 Tbsp Tahini 

Juice & zest 1 lemon

1/2 tsp Sumac 

1/2 tsp Cumin 

Big sprinkle Red pepper 

1/2 tsp Paprika 

Big handful Scallions or chives 

Big handful Pistachios 

Big sprinkle Sesame seeds 

In a large bowl, whisk together: date molasses, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, crushed garlic and the spices. Taste. Adjust as needed. Add salt & pepper.

Slice carrot coins and add to the bowl. Add the scallions & pistachios; toss. Top with sesame seeds.

Serves 2 – 4

Pickled Dill Cucumber Salad

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A smart little salad perfect for serving with all of Summers’ goodness – or alone.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, Whole30, paleo, keto

Pickled Dill Cucumber Salad

2-3 medium cucumbers, sliced fairly thinly 

1 Tbsp capers

1 Tbsp coconut vinegar (ACV with a sprinkle of red chili flakes will do in a pinch)

2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt & pepper

3 Tbsp mayo (my current fav is Dutch Zaanse, but Japanese Kewpie is a close second) – swap for vegan if desired

2 Tbsp shallots, thinly sliced into half moons

Drizzle honey or pinch sugar 

2 tsp stone ground mustard (Maille FTW – if you’ve been around long enough for my lament against whomever stopped importing my favorite mustard, I’m happy to report that it’s back on shelves – at least for now – hold please: I need to stock up)

Thinly slice the cucumbers and let dry on paper towels.

Thinly slice the shallots, run a knife through the capers, mince the garlic, and chop the dill; adding to a large bowl as you go.

Add the vinegar, honey, salt & pepper, mustard and mayo. Stir to combine.

Add the cucumbers and toss really well to incorporate fully.

Let sit for an hour or so to marinate and serve.

Serves 2 – 4 as a side, depending on how large your cucumbers are

Salmon & Apple Salad

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A quick little salmon salad for lunch that packs in a respectable 23g protein.

Gluten-free, paleo, pescatarian

Salmon & Apple Salad

8 oz. salmon

1/2 bunch celery, ~ 3/4c. when chopped fine

1 Granny Smith Apple

2 Tbsp. capers

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1.5 Tbsp. pickled ginger

Small red onion

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. caraway seeds

1 tsp. dill seeds (2T fresh would be amazing but I couldn’t find fresh this week)

Enough mayo or the like to bind

Salt & white pepper

Preheat your air fryer for 3 mins; hit the salmon with a blast or 2 of avocado oil and cook at 400 degrees for 6 mins. De-skin and set aside to cool.

Finely chop the celery, apple and onion.

Add to a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

Toss to coat. Add the salmon, flaking as you do. Toss carefully, adding more mayo if necessary.

Finish with flake salt and maybe a little Togarishi or your favorite heat if desired.

Serves 2 for lunch

Green Tomato Salad

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This quick salad makes use of some batch cooked eggplant and deli rotisserie chicken for a light meal that comes together in a flash.

gluten-free, paleo, low carb

Green Tomato Salad

4 oz rotisserie chicken

1 green tomato

5 sundried tomato halves (or roasted red pepper pieces)

1/2 c sautéed eggplant cubes

Squeeze lemon juice

Flake salt & pepper

Warm the chicken & eggplant. While that heats, chop the tomatoes (both kinds). Add to the eggplant chicken, dress with a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of salt and a few cracks black pepper and serve.

Serves 1 for a light dinner

Dilly Bacon & Eggs Potato Salad

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It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? I’ve been wholly uninspired in the kitchen lately, opting for simple meals from batch-cooked protein + veg – or relying much too heavily on grab-n-go dinners.

Hoping brain is turning a corner there.

This was a quick & tasty lunch I batch prepped on Monday and had a couple times this week. Simple, fresh tasting and quick.

gluten-free, paleo

Dilly Bacon & Eggs Potato Salad

1/2 (ish) cup roasted mixed potatoes

2 hard boiled eggs

2 slices bacon

1-2 Tbsp mayo

Generous squeeze lemon

2 Tbsp chopped dill

Add the potatoes to a bowl. Chop the bacon and add. Reheat. While that is working, chop the dill and eggs.

Add the dill & eggs to the potato mixture and stir. Add the mayo and a generous squeeze lemon and stir again to combine well.

Serves 1 for lunch

Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad

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This is a bright, fresh salad. A touch salty as written, but pairs perfectly with an added protein – which balances.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan

Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water + your favorite stock situation

2 tsp olive oil

2 mandarin oranges, segmented and chopped

1 large carrot, diced

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 large scallion, chopped

Hand full salted peanuts

6 leaves basil, chopped

1 Tbsp peanut butter

2 Tbsp soy sauce or aminos

1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp lime juice

1.5 tsp coconut syrup

1 Tbsp garlic powder

To make the quinoa, add the quinoa, stock/water, olive oil and a few grinds salt to a rice cooker. Cook on the rice setting until finished.

While that works, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, coconut syrup and garlic powder to form a dressing.

In a large bowl, add the rest of the ingredients. Toss with the cooked quinoa and dressing. Sprinkle the peanuts over to serve.

Serves 3-4 with a protein

Salmon & Fruits Salad

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Salmon and an aggressive amount of Summer fruit sounds like an odd pairing, but the fat in the fish really works well with the sweetness of the fruit.

gluten-free, paleo, pescatarian

Salmon & Fruits Salad

Salmon steaks – I had 2 pre-portioned steaks and used those

Garlic powder

Sweet paprika powder

Dried oregano

Salt & pepper

Lemon juice

A little oil

I preheat my air fryer to 400c for 3 mins, sprinkled the flesh side of the fish liberally with the spices and lemon juice and placed in the heated basket skin side down. I then hit the fillets with a couple blasts garlic oil and cooked for 4 mins. I de-skinned my fillets to serve.

While the salmon was going, I chucked the salad in a large bowl:

1/2 -1 cup watermelon, cut into bite-sized pieces

20 cherries, pitted and sliced

10-12 strawberries, hulled and quartered

2 nectarines, pitted and chopped

2 tsp each of fresh chopped: mint, cilantro & chives

1 tsp dried dill (fresh would be better but I used what I could find)

I tossed all with a dressing from:

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp fruity vinegar (my current is ume plum)

2 tsp sweetener (my current is coconut syrup)

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp chili powder

Generous cracks salt & pepper

I finished my salad with sprinkles of flaked almond and my current favorite spicy topper – togarishi

Makes 2 big salads but could stretch with more fish

Cucumber Herb Salad

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This fresh salad is tangy, herby and makes a great foil for a light Summer protein.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo

Cucumber Herb Salad

1 -2 medium cucumbers, sliced into thin rounds

Sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 small wire or red onion, sliced into thin moons

1-2 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped

2-4 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

3-4 Tbsp chives, snipped

2 tsp garlic powder

1-2 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Generous cracks salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients but the cucumber and onions to form a dressing. Toss with the veggies and serve with your favorite protein – or on a thick slab of toasted bread.

Serves 2

Beet & Olive Salad

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Another weird one, but another goodie. This salad is rich & filling due to the carbs + fats, but interesting enough to serve as a light lunch.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

Beet & Olive Salad

4-6 pre-roasted & peeled beets, chopped

1/2 cup your favorite olives, chopped

1 medium shallot, minced

2 Tbsp capers, fried until just-crispy

Juice + zest of 1/2 a lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped

3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

1 large hand full baby spinach per serving

Generous sprinkle red pepper flakes

Generous sprinkle your favorite nut (I used slivered almonds)

Flake salt & cracked black pepper

First, tear or roughly chop your beets, spray with oil and air fry 15 – 20 mins, shaking a few times, until a bit crispy around the edges.

In a large bowl, whisk the shallot, lemon, oil, herbs & red pepper.

Toss all the rest of the ingredients into the dressing; top with cracked pepper + flake salt.

Serves 2-3 for lunch