If you’re sticking to your recent resolution, then you’re probably eating lots of salads. Hopefully, you’re not feeling like you might turn into a head of lettuce and today’s recipe will be right up your alley. We’re big fans of one-dish meals that offer our family the nutrition they need and give us a little break on the labor. Salads are easy to prepare and give your family the chance to make exactly what they want (we all deal with picky eaters). We like to prepare a bunch of greens, toppings (veggies, cheese, beans) and a protein and let everyone make their own salad. Make your dressing, if you can, to get the most flavor. Our Citrus-Mango Dressing is fresh and light, and works well with seafood and chicken.
Start with a lettuce:
- Green or Red Leaf
- Romaine
- Butter
- Mixed Greens or Baby Lettuces
- Spinach
- Iceberg
Wash well and use a salad spinner or paper towels to dry, and then be sure to tear up into bite-sized pieces, as necessary.
Then, put whatever veggies, legumes or cheese you have into small bowls for everyone to choose from. Try:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Avocado
- Corn
- Red, green or yellow peppers
- Black beans
- Goat or feta cheese crumbles
Add a protein that works with your dressing. In this case, we’ve chosen seafood:
- Scallops
- Shrimp
- Halibut
- Mahi Mahi
- Cod
- Albacore or Ahi Tuna
- Grilled Chicken works too!
Citrus Mango Dressing
Take advantage of the amazing citrus in season right now. Pull a few fruits off your Citrus Arrangement (our story from last week) and use them for this dressing. You can prepare it up to two days in advance; storing the mango, green onion and orange in separate containers in the refrigerator. To save time, purchase pre-cut mango and oranges.
1 Tablespoon Sherry Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Orange Juice Concentrate
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice, freshly squeezed
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 Cup Mango, diced
1/2 Cup Orange, membranes removed, diced
1/4 Cup Green Onion, thinly sliced, or 2 Tablespoons Shallots, finely diced, or 1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped
Combine vinegar, orange juice concentrate, lime juice, lemon juice, mustard and olive oil in a lidded jar. Put the top on the jar and shake vigorously until the mixture is emulsified. Remove lid and add the diced fruit and the onion, cilantro or shallots, stir to blend. Store at room temperature until ready to serve.
Makes 1 cup.
Momologie Tip
We know kids can be picky, so if your little ones don’t like salads, try serving the seafood or chicken with black beans and rice instead and drizzle the dressing over the top. If they don’t like meat, then leave it out altogether.
