Here’s a refreshing salad that has a lot going on. If you’re getting bored with regular salads, give this one a try to help hit the reset button and get you excited to eat salad again.
One of the delicious features of this salad is the poached egg that rests on top. Poaching the egg makes it so it’s just firm enough to hold itself together, with the yolk still runny and ready to coat the veggies once it’s pierced.
Another great quality of this salad is the salmon that is mixed throughout. It will provide another source of protein as well as omega-3s in large amounts. Start with fresh, wild-caught salmon for best results. It’s nice to have a serving of fish in the summer, which gives you a serving of high-quality protein to power you through those long summer days.
For the veggies we couldn’t pick just anything, it had to be ones that go well with the salmon and eggs, and change the status quo when it comes to ingredients typically found in a salad. Cauliflower was the first natural choice, since the florets do a good job of soaking up the egg yolk, and they go well with the carrots.
Cherry tomatoes provide a bit of tartness and also add their beautiful red color to the salad. Black olives provide a nice contrast both in flavor and the visual appearance of the salad. Green beans add in a new texture and also their delicious flavor.
A little bit of apple cider vinegar and dijon mustard helps to round out the flavor, along with some dried oregano. When all of the ingredients combine they form a new flavor that just has to be experienced to fully appreciate it. It’s one of those dishes where the sum is greater than each part individually.
Part of the Paleo lifestyle is getting out in the sun and producing some Vitamin D the natural way. With long stretches of daylight there’s plenty of opportunity, and when you eat foods that are this good for you you’ll naturally have the energy and drive to get out there and get active.
Stopping for a lunch break and re-fueling with a summer salad like this one will just seem natural, and you may be surprised to see how much energy you have for the remainder of the afternoon, with no crash like you get from “energy” drinks or caffeinated beverages.
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh salmon fillets
- 4 cups cauliflower florets
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1/3 lb green beans, trimmed and cut to 3 inch long pieces
- 20 cherry tomatoes, (different colors optional)
- 16 black olives
- 4 eggs
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh oregano sprigs for garnish
Directions
- Fill a pot with water and bring to boil over high heat. Line bamboo steamer with perforated parchment paper or cabbage leaves and lay the fish on top. Place the bamboo steamer over the pot with boiling water and steam for 8 -10 minutes. Remove the steamer and set aside.
- In the same pot add 1 tsp of salt and green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the beans to a bowl with cold water. In the pot with boiling water add the cauliflower and cook for two minutes. Plunge the cauliflower in bowl with cold water. Add the carrots to the pot with boiling water and cook for 2 minutes then plunge in a bowl with cold water. Drain the veggies and add them in a large bowl.
- Cut the steamed salmon into bite size pieces. Halve tomatoes. Add the tomatoes, salmon, olives and dressing to the veggies. Add salt and pepper to taste and gently toss. Transfer the salad to serving plates.
- Half-fill a small pot with water and bring it to a simmer over a medium heat. Break the egg into a cup and pour it slowly into the water, in one movement. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove the poached egg carefully from the pot with a slotted spoon, and top the salad with a egg. Repeat with remaining eggs. Garnish the salad with fresh oregano sprigs. Serve immediately.