Lots of things change with the seasons from your wardrobe to your hair, to your diet. Also as the activities increase so does your dearth of free time so being able to enjoy a nice meal that doesn’t throw you off course for achieving your summer bod becomes increasing more challenging. So we’ve started a five part series on quick summer meals that will keep you on schedule and on course. The first three are salads that you can make under 20 minutes but taste like it took you three times that much. They are also great for entertaining because they can be scaled according to the number of guest, but the quality isn’t deleted as you add more.
We’ll get you started with a very simple three ingredient starter salad perfect for starting off a lunch that includes a meat dish, or it can also work as a full mid-day meal to keep things on the lighter side. The dressing is very important even though it takes a little time, but it’s well worth it to spice up even ordinary vegetables. Serve in a small bowl or chafing dish with delicate napkin underneath. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3 medium to large cucumbers
- 2 large carrot, peeled
- 6 oz thinly sliced salmon (optional)
For the dressing:
- 1 clove of garlic
- Juice from half a lime
- ½ tbsp mirin
- ½ C soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 – 2 tsp sriracha
- 1 tsp honey
- Cilantro for garnish
- Red pepper flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Using a julienne peeler, slice the cucumbers. Do this by laying the cucumber and carrots down lengthwise and running the peeler across the top of the cucumbers and then carrots. For the cucumbers, once you get near the seeds, rotate it and repeat the process. Place the noodles in a bowl.
- Make the dressing by whisking the remaining ingredients, minus the cilantro and red pepper flakes, together in a jar. You probably won’t need to use all of the dressing but you can store it in the refrigerator in an air tight container for 7 days.
- Toss the noodles in your desired amount of dressing and serve in bowls. Garnish with the cilantro and red pepper flakes.
Nutrition Information: Serving size: 1 C Calories: 80 Fat: 3g Carbohydrates: 10g Protein: 3g