Rainbow Chard-Berry Salad with Salmon

By Laura Marzen, RD for Delicious Living

Full of summer flavors and textures that harmonize and contrast in all the right ways, this salad is simpler than it looks to toss together, AND it’s gluten free. Snip some fresh rosemary for the dressing and you’re on your way to a new favorite.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup very thinly sliced shallots
• ¼ cup plus 2 Tbs. champagne vinegar
• ¼ tsp. coarse salt
• 6 cups torn, trimmed, fresh rainbow chard
• 1 cup coarsely shredded yellow beet (1 large or 2 small beets)
• ¾ pound grilled, roasted or smoked skinless salmon, coarsely flaked
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• ½ cup pistachio nuts or almonds, chopped and toasted

FOR THE DRESSING:

• 1½ tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1½ tsp. snipped fresh rosemary
• 1/8 tsp. coarse salt
• ¼ cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil

Directions:

1. In a small bowl combine sliced shallots, vinegar and salt. Toss to coat. Submerge shallot slices so they are covered with as much vinegar as possible. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or chill up to 2 days ahead. Drain shallots; reserve vinegar mixture for dressing and pickled shallots for salad.
2. To assemble, arrange chard on a serving platter. Top with shredded beet, salmon, pickled shallots (drained from step 1), strawberries and pistachios.
3. For the dressing, in a small bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons of the drained vinegar mixture, Dijon mustard, rosemary and salt. Slowly pour oil into vinegar mixture, whisking constantly, until dressing is well combined. Drizzle dressing over salad to serve.

Tip: Peel beet and use a food processor to quickly shred beet into small pieces.

PER SERVING (2 cups): 465 cal, 35g fat (19g mono, 11g poly, 5g sat), 52mg chol, 463mg sodium, 16g carb (4g fiber, 9g sugars), 23g protein

SOURCE: The herb list is posted by permission Delicious Living (and its parent company New Hope Network), a trusted voice in the natural living community for 30 years.