I barely did any cooking since my last post. As I alluded, I do not want this hobby to become a chore. I try to be kind to myself. When I simply don’t feel like cooking, I do not put pressure on myself to make something just to have something to write about. With less demand in the kitchen, I found surprising amount of free time and surplus budget on my hands. I never think about how much time and money I devote to my hobby but it certainly makes a lot of sense.
Last night I finally ran out of ready-to-eat food so I had little choice but to put something together for dinner. I scrounged around and gathered bunch of ingredients together. A can of hot smoked coho salmon. A box of washed kale. A handful of baby carrots. A bunch of really fresh basil. Some romaine lettuce leaves. Toasted peanuts. I chopped and sliced and tossed. 15 minutes later, I had a box of sandwich filling made special with an Asian-inspired peanut dressing.
While I enjoy an occasional tuna salad sandwich, I am not a huge fan of mayonnaise dressing. My shredded kale and flaked salmon filling offer similar satisfaction but with a heavier focus on healthy eating. The copious amount of basil added freshness and zest while the baby carrots stayed crunchy for textural contrast. The peanut dressing was a simple concoction of natural peanut butter, rice vinegar, salmon juice, maple syrup, and fish sauce.
I had a small bowl for dinner last night and used it as sandwich filling today. The good thing about these sturdy salad is that they are good keepers. I can always keep a container in the fridge for a couple of days with no risk of everything turning limp. I enjoyed it as an alternative to tuna sandwich. Here is a rough guide of what you need to do:
- Using a food processor, shred 5oz of washed kale, a huge handful of basil, and a fistful of baby carrots.
- Toss your shredded vegetable in a large mixing bowl of torn bite-size pieces of romaine lettuce, flaked canned smoked salmon, and a handful of toasted peanuts.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together one tablespoon each of natural peanut butter, rice vinegar, salmon juice from the can of smoked salmon, maple syrup, and fish sauce.
- Dress everything evenly with peanut sauce and enjoy as salad or sandwich filling.
