A spring salad recipe from Sara Binder, Registered Holistic Nutritionist

As the weather warms up and more fresh vegetables come into season, I want to share with you one of my favorite spring salads made with green beans and baby potatoes.

One under-appreciated spring vegetable I like to add to salads are cooked and cooled baby potatoes! Why? including some cooked starchy components into salads can make them more filling, satiating and less cooling - potatoes can be great for this! Potatoes are also a good source of vitamin C, fibre and even contain a small amount of iron.

Interestingly cooked and cooled potatoes have more resistant starch than simply hot cooked potatoes. Resistant starch is great for strengthening our gut microbiome and improving digestion! Resistant starch also improves insulin sensitivity which makes cooked and cooled potatoes more blood sugar friendly.

I also recommend to include the skin on your potatoes (as long as they are undamaged without green spots) as just under the skin is where most of their nutrients hang out.

Here is my my recipe for Wild Salmon and Baby Potato Nicoise Salad
(Inspired by traditional tuna nicoise salad) feel free to skip the fish to make the salad vegetarian

Recipe Serves 2 Meal Sized Salads

Salad Ingredients:

2 5oz wild salmon fillets (can sub for leftover fish, canned wild salmon or tuna if you can't source fresh fish, are in a pinch/ want to reduce cooking time)
8-10 small - medium baby red, gold or purple potatoes (purple potatoes are especially high in antioxidants!)
2 medium-boiled eggs (make it 4 if you are skipping the fish)
1/3 cup black kalamata olives or green olives
2 cups fresh green beans
¼ c thinly sliced red onion or shallots
6 cups baby greens such as arugula or spring mix

Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette Ingredients:

¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (can sub balsamic vinegar if you prefer)
2 tbsp dijon mustard (grainy or smooth)
3-4 tbsp cold pressed olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Bring a medium sized pot of water to boil, add washed baby potatoes, reduce heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender but still hold their shape. Add green beans for the last 30 seconds to blanch.
Drain and chill potatoes and beans in a bowl of ice water.
While chilling, combine dressing ingredients, and set aside.
Drain beans and potatoes again. Trim ends and cut green beans into 2-inch pieces. Slice potatoes into halves or quarters.
To prepare Salmon: heat a cast iron pan to medium heat.
Season salmon with a shake of salt, pepper, garlic powder. Add ½ tbsp butter or avocado oil to your pan, followed by salmon fillets, if there is skin on your salmon, cook skin side up to start.
Cook salmon on both sides for about 2-4 minutes depending on the thickness, flip only once, finished fish should be flakey but not cooked until dry. Internal temperature of 120 - 145 f - depending on how well done you like it. Set aside.

Layer all salad ingredients onto two plates or toss in a large bowl, leave the salmon, eggs & olives out for toppings. Drizzle salad with dressing ingredients or toss together if using a large bowl. Top with fish, eggs and olives, squeeze additional lemon wedge over your fish if you like.

Enjoy