Lately it's been warm in Montreal, and when it's warm out I don't really relish the idea of heating up my apartment further by cooking something hot. The answer is making a salad for dinner.
It's actually quite easy to make a salad into a meal. One way is to add cooked grains to bulk it up...quinoa is one of my favourite choices in this case, but it does require some stovetop cooking time (couscous is another great option).
Another good way to make a salad into a meal is to add protein. For this reason I usually keep a tin of chickpeas on hand...no cooking required, just rinse and add! And, of course, you can also add meat, which is what I did to make this Thai-inspired salad.....
Dressing:
-1/3 cup fresh lime juice (2-3 whole limes)
-1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
-1 tbsp grated ginger
-1 tbsp fish (or soy) sauce
-1-2 tsp chile paste with garlic (less if you like your salad mild, more if you prefer spicy food)
Combine all five ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Salad
-julienned carrot
-chopped cucumber
-fresh basil leaves (using a couple different varieties of basil really makes the salad delicious)
Exact quantities here are not important. Basically...just cut as many vegetables as you like in whatever style you want (I, for instance, use julienned carrots because I have a vegetable peeler that does the julienning for me). Feel free to add your favourite baby greens...cilantro and mint also go very well in this salad!! Once you've chosen your salad ingredients, combine them with the salad dressing.
Steak
-flank steak, trimmed
-salt and pepper
Season steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat; add steak to pan and cook for about 6 minutes on either side (or until the steak reaches the desired degree of doneness). Remove from the pan and rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes (this seals in all the juices). Cut the steak diagonally across the grain in this slices, drizzle with some of the salad dressing. Arrange over salad and enjoy!
It's actually quite easy to make a salad into a meal. One way is to add cooked grains to bulk it up...quinoa is one of my favourite choices in this case, but it does require some stovetop cooking time (couscous is another great option).
Another good way to make a salad into a meal is to add protein. For this reason I usually keep a tin of chickpeas on hand...no cooking required, just rinse and add! And, of course, you can also add meat, which is what I did to make this Thai-inspired salad.....
Dressing:
-1/3 cup fresh lime juice (2-3 whole limes)
-1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
-1 tbsp grated ginger
-1 tbsp fish (or soy) sauce
-1-2 tsp chile paste with garlic (less if you like your salad mild, more if you prefer spicy food)
Combine all five ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Salad
-julienned carrot
-chopped cucumber
-fresh basil leaves (using a couple different varieties of basil really makes the salad delicious)
Exact quantities here are not important. Basically...just cut as many vegetables as you like in whatever style you want (I, for instance, use julienned carrots because I have a vegetable peeler that does the julienning for me). Feel free to add your favourite baby greens...cilantro and mint also go very well in this salad!! Once you've chosen your salad ingredients, combine them with the salad dressing.
Steak
-flank steak, trimmed
-salt and pepper
Season steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat; add steak to pan and cook for about 6 minutes on either side (or until the steak reaches the desired degree of doneness). Remove from the pan and rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes (this seals in all the juices). Cut the steak diagonally across the grain in this slices, drizzle with some of the salad dressing. Arrange over salad and enjoy!
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| As always, I serve my salad with bread :) |
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