Asian Chicken Salad

                Today I had a craving for a crunchy salad but I wanted something salty, too, so I made this fresh Asian Chicken Salad for lunch. The dressing and marinade are made with salty Asian fish sauce, tart lime juice, and spicy chili-garlic paste. It’s a refreshing but filling springtime lunch. If you’re watching your sodium, this salad—or anything made with Asian fish sauce—is definitely an occasional treat.

The pretty greens in my salad are from my local farmers market, from Monkshood Nursery and Gardens in Stuyvesant, New York. Any greens will work here—you can try mesclun, baby spinach, bibb lettuce, or romaine.

Asian Chicken Salad

Makes 2 servings

marinade and dressing

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 clove garlic, crushed through a press

1/4 teaspoon chili-garlic paste

salad

2 (4- to 5-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon canola oil

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

4 cups mixed salad greens of any type

2 radishes, thinly sliced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 carrot, peeled and shredded

1/2 of a hothouse cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs

To make the marinade and dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves.

Place the chicken in a small shallow dish and add 2 tablespoons of the marinade. Turn the chicken to coat, cover snugly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours. Cover and refrigerate the remaining marinade, which will be used as a dressing on the salad.

To make the salad, heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-hgih heat. Add the canola oil and tilt the pan to coat the bottom. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook until the juices run clear, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand about 5 minutes.

While the chicken cooks, combine the tomatoes, greens, radishes, green onions, carrot, cucumber, and cilantro sprigs in a large bowl and toss to combine.

To serve the salads, drizzle the tomato mixture with about 2 tablespoons of the reserved marinade and toss to coat. Divide the mixture among two plates. Top evenly with the chicken. Drizzle the chicken with the reserved marinade and serve at once.  

Each serving: 12 g carbohydrate, 251 calories, 10 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 63 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 27 g protein, 1181 mg sodium

Carb Choices: 1; Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 3 lean protein, 1 1/2 fat

Quick and Healthy Veggie-Packed Lunch

If you’re lucky enough to be at home at lunch time, you can make a healthy lunch in less than 10 minutes. Miso soup is ready in the time it takes to boil water, and you can add almost anything to it, making it perfect for using up leftovers.

            Start with the recipe below as a guideline. I like to use a little less miso than most recipes call for, since it’s so salty and I’m trying to do better with my salt-tooth. Most recipes say 1 tablespoon miso for 1cup of water, but let your taste and your blood pressure guide you.

            Other healthful ingredients you can add to the soup include leftover diced chicken breast, small shrimp (either cooked or raw; they’ll cook in a couple minutes), or cubes of tofu. The protein will make the soup more filling. And you can use cooked whole wheat pasta or soba noodles instead of the rice. Use whatever veggies you have on hand: quick-cooking vegetables such as small broccoli florets, shredded carrot, thinly sliced summer squash, bell peppers, or scallions, or fresh bean sprouts. If you like sesame, add a tiny drizzle of dark sesame oil to the finished soup.

           

            Another great way to have miso soup is to have just the broth for an afternoon snack. Boil water, remove from the heat, and whisk in the miso until smooth. Pour it into a mug and drink it like tea. When I’m craving something sweet that I know I shouldn’t have, like a chocolate-dipped macaroon from Lety’s Bakery (conveniently located just steps from my front door), if I have something salty, it stops the sugar craving. Give it a try.

When you’ve no time for lunch, yet want something really healthy and really quick, dig around in the refrigerator, see what you’ve got, and turn it into miso soup. I’d love to hear what you add to yours.

            Oh, and brown rice, cooked perfectly. No one does it better than Alton Brown.

Miso Soup with Spinach and Rice

Makes 2 servings

3 cups water

2 cups chopped fresh spinach or baby spinach

1 cup cooked brown rice

2 tablespoons white miso

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the water into a small bowl.

Add the spinach and rice to the saucepan and cook just until the spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the miso to the water in the bowl and whisk until smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the miso mixture. Serve at once.

Each serving: 30 g carbohydrate, 148 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 5 g protein, 509 mg sodium

Carb Choices: 2; Exchanges: 2 starch