I hope you all enjoyed the healthy heart breakfast recipes shared by Cara, Nicole, Amy, & Natalie last Wednesday!
This week is all about lunch, and Nicole is hosting today’s giveaway. Up for grabs are The Pure Kitchen cookbook by Hallie Klecker, our own Amy Roskelly’s Healthy Kids Plates, and both a 32 oz. jar of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil & a 2.2 lb bag of coconut flour from Tropical Traditions. Be sure to click over to Nicole’s blog to enter this fantastic giveaway!
Also be sure to check out all of the hearty-healthy lunch recipes featured today:
- Cara’s Creamy Asparagus and Walnut Soup
- Nicole’s Chipotle Black Bean and Shrimp Quesadillas with Edamame Guacamole (this week’s hostess)
- Amy & Natalie’s Heart Healthy Turkey Panini
My heart-healthy offering for a mid-day meal is this Fresh Salmon Caesar Salad Sandwich.
Clearly the star of the recipe is salmon. Fresh wild Alaskan salmon, to be precise.
Packed with omega-3 fattty acids, (specifically EPA and DHA), salmon is one of the healthiest seafood options out there. This flavorful fish may reduce high blood pressure, as well as inflammation that could lead to a heart attack.
The salmon salad is laid atop a bed of spinach, a powerhouse veggie loaded with potassium – which is a mineral that can act as a defense against hypertension (high blood pressure) – and lutein, an antioxidant carotenoid that may prevent or reduce atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries, which leads to heart attack).
Finally, whole grain bread adds fiber – which plays a role in regulating blood pressure and heart health – to the sandwich.
I cut way down on the saturated fat of a typical fish salad by subbing in Greek yogurt for the traditional mayonnaise; the salmon salad still has a creamy, luxurious texture, but a drastically reduced amount of fat.
I also decided to add a flavor profile similar to that of a ceasar salad. Garlic, anchovy paste (sounds gross, but adds a fantastic briny flavor), Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard combine to replicate the flavors the classic salad.
This sandwich was SO GOOD! It really blows your regular old tuna fish sandwich right out of the water. Meaty, salty, creamy, and satisfying… I could easily eat this once a week. At least.
Fresh Salmon Caesar Salad Sandwich
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Keywords: roast sandwich main salmon spinach bread greek yogurt
Ingredients (1 sandwich)
- 4 oz cooked wild Alaskan salmon, chilled, skin removed, and flaked
- 1/4 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1/2 tsp anchovy paste
- 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp country Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 handful baby spinach, washed & dried
- whole grain bread (I used 1 slice of Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Pane, cut in half)
Instructions
Place yogurt, garlic clove, anchovy paste, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard in a blender or small food processor. Blend until smooth, season to taste with salt and pepper, & transfer to a small bowl.
Fold in flaked salmon.
Sandwich spinach and salmon caesar salad between bread slices.
*To cook the salmon:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Pat the salmon dry, (any moisture on the fish will keep it from searing properly), and season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat a bit of extra virgin olive oil in an oven-proof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add the salmon flesh (non-skin) side down to the hot skillet and cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes, or until crisp.
Flip salmon over so the skin side is down and transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast the salmon for 3-4 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove skin and bones.
Chill until cold.
Nutritional Information (WITHOUT bread, the nutritional information of which varies by brand):
251.7 calories, 10.3 grams fat, 2.2 grams saturated fat, 0.7 grams fiber, 34.2 grams protein
