Salads to Start With This New year

Tips and tricks for flavorful salads! As the new year begins, so do our diets. But this year, consider your diet more of a lifestyle change so that you’ll be well on your way to forming a new healthy eating habit. These gorgeous salads will pave the way for you entreating you to a sumptuous, healthy choice of life!

Tropical Scallop Salad with Avocado and Mango and Toasted Coconut
Prep time:15 minutes Cook time:6 minutes Total time:21 minutes Serves: 2

Ingredients:

For the salad

10-12 cups of salad mix (baby lettuce and arugula is what I used)
1 firm but ripe avocado, cubed
1c red grape or small cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 c bell pepper, diced (I use red)
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium mango, cubed
4tbsp toasted coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1 lb large divers scallops ( about 10), rinsed and dried
Sea salt and pepper

For the dressing

4-6 tbsp grapeseed oil
Zest and juice of one lime
2 tsp honey
2 tbsp coconut balsamic vinegar (or white balsamic or white wine vinegar)
4 tbsp roughly chopped cilantro
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat the grill and prep with oil so the scallops don’t stick
2. Toast the coconut in a skillet on the stove stirring for 3-5 min until starting to brown. Don’t burn!!
3. Prepare the dressing. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or magic bullet and blend well. Set aside
4. Set out two large salad bowls and divide the lettuce between the two, divide the toppings amongst them as well.
5. Rinse and pat dry the scallops, season with salt and pepper. Place on the preheated, seasoned grill and cook 2-3 min, Turn and cook another 2-3 min or until cooked through. Remove from grill and let cool for a minute or two
6. Divide the scallops between the salads and top with the toasted coconut and drizzle with the dressing.

Note: The dressing can be easily doubled or tripled and works great as a marinade for other fish, shrimp or chicken

(Image credit: sheknows.com)

Thai Cabbage Salad
Serves: 20

Ingredients:

Dressing

1/2 C rice vinegar
1/4 C soy sauce
2 T honey
1 T chile garlic sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/2 C vegetable oil

Salad

1 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced (you can also use 1/2 head of green cabbage and 1/2 head of red cabbage)
3 carrots, grated
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 C chopped cilantro leaves
1 C unsalted dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Instructions:

Dressing

In a small bowl or jar, mix all of the ingredients except the oil.
Add the oil and mix or shake until fully emulsified.
Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 5 days.

Salad

In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients and toss.
Add enough dressing to moisten and toss.

Source: sheknows.com, pineappleandcoconut.com, karenskitchenstories.com

(Photo above: pineappleandcoconut.com)