A Hearty Salad Recipe With My Favorite Fatty Fish…

Salads are great, but not typically as a meal for me. If I just eat lettuce and other veggies doused in dressing, you can guarantee I will be hungry within an hour or two. When I saw this salad recipe, I had to give it a shot because it not only has some quality, high vitamin, high fiber veggies, it also has salmon, which is high in crucial Omega-3 fats our body needs, and orzo, which is a semolina based pasta. I know many people out there shun pastas and white products, as I usually do myself. I suppose the only thing I would maybe do different when making this salad next time is try to find a whole wheat orzo, but the reality is, once the salad is made, there is not THAT much orzo in it and it kind of makes the salad. Plus, orzo does have fiber in it, so it’s not completely worthless. I also used Wild Atlantic Salmon, because, as a nutritionist, I am kind of a food snob and do my best not to eat the farmed salmon. This dish makes for a complete and HEALTHY meal. If you want to omit the feta, you can do that, or you can add olive oil or sliced avocado, but I suppose that would make it less Mediterranean-y? Very easy to make and also had the nutrition facts at the bottom of the recipe!! WIN.

Ingredients

·         ½ cup uncooked orzo

·         2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

·         1/8 teaspoon salt

·         Cooking spray

·         2 cups torn spinach

·         ½ cup chopped red bell pepper

·         ¼ cup chopped green onions

·         4 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

·         3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

·         2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1.      Preheat broiler.

2.      Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

3.      Sprinkle salmon evenly with salt, oregano and black pepper. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes; break into bite-sized pieces with two forks.

4.      Combine pasta, salmon, spinach and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; toss well.

Nutritional Information – Makes 4 servings (about 1 cup)Per serving: 231 calories, 20.3 g protein, 7.7 g fat, 1.6 g sat fat, 49 mg cholesterol, 310 mg sodium, 19.3 gm carbohydrate, 1.8 g fiber.