Happy July!   I admit, I took a month break from my recipe blog ... to run off and get married! And wow, I return to SUMMER in full swing.   With tomatoes and cucumbers in season, I am always looking for creative new salads.  Of course simply slicing fresh tomatoes and cucumbers with a pinch of salt, dash of olive oil and red wine vinegar is also an amazing and simple way to enjoy these fresh veggies.  

This smoked trout salad is like a gourmet take on tuna fish salad.   The kalamata olives, and salty fish balance perfectly with fresh cucumber and cherry tomatoes.   And no need to hold back on the green onions and chives!  

This salad is packed with healthy fats from the fish, olive oil and olives - a very Mediterranean salad.  I am always encouraging people to follow a "healthy fat" rather than low fat diet.  "Saturated fat" is the type of fat we want to limit.   In the past few years a growing body of scientific evidence is supporting the mediterranean diet.   Go ahead and look up the PREDIMED study, if you are interested.  They basically took individuals at high risk for heart disease and put them all on mediterranean diets, then they gave one cohort additional olive oil. Those who had additional olive oil in their diet had fewer heart attacks/strokes.   Food really is medicine.

SMOKED TROUT SALAD WITH HONEY VINAIGRETTE

YIELD: 4 MAIN / 6 STARTER   TOTAL TIME:  20 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 english cucumber, diced

• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and diced

• 12 green onions, chopped

• 4 oz smoked trout torn into small pieces

• 6 cups fresh spinach

• Chive Honey Vinaigrette:

  • 3 Tablespoon olive oil

  • 3 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon honey

  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

  • 1/2 cup minced chives

  • 1 teaspoon honey

METHOD:

1. Combine dressing ingredients in bowl and set aside

2. Combine cherry tomatoes, cucumber, kalamata olives, green onions, and smoked trout in large bowl and dress with vinaigrette [ Note: If you are making this recipe ahead of time, I recommend stopping after this step so the salad keeps for later / lunch the next day. Then add the spinach just before serving]

3. Add spinach to bowl and toss to combine, do this step just before you are ready to serve and enjoy!

NUTRITION FACTS:

Calories  266/ Carbs 14g/ Fat 20g/ Sat Fat  1.6g/ Protein 8g/ Fiber 3g