Spinach Salad with Salmon & Asian Vinaigrette

Well, I didn't lie.....I told you that I was on a salad kick!

The grilled chicken salad with cilantro vinaigrette was just so good, I had to make another salad. Another salad with homemade dressing, interesting ingredients (mango? why not!) and a warm piece of lean, healthy protein.

How did I come up with this one? Well, I went in search of dressings, and found a super easy Asian vinaigrette. This is certainly nothing exotic...this is just rice vinegar, a bit of oil, a drizzle of soy...(ok, and maybe a couple other things.) Also, I simply had to use avocado again - it is just THAT good. I also had some spinach leaves left, so that was the base. For extra crunch, I added broccoli slaw and for a hit of sweet flavor, I used mango slices. I thought this salad would go wonderfully with broiled salmon, so that's what ended up on top.

This is definitely a "will-make-again!"

Spinach Salad with Salmon & Asian Vinaigrette

For the salad:

fresh spinach leaves, rinsed and patted dry

broccoli slaw

avocado, sliced

mango, sliced

slivered almonds

fresh salmon filets (if frozen, thawed)

salt, pepper

For the dressing:

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBS fresh ginger, minced

1/4 - 3/4 C olive oil

1/3 C rice vinegar

1/4 C - 1/2 C soy sauce

3 TBS honey

1/4 C water

1. Before you begin - please understand that the measurements for the dressing are a starting point. Start with less, and add as you like. I like sweet, acidic dressings - this meant more honey, more vinegar, and less soy. Do what you like! But anyway, in a food processor or a jar with lid, make your dressing: just throw it all together and blend/shake well. Set aside.

2. Sprinkle salmon filets with salt and pepper. Place under broiler in oven for several minutes, until flakes easily with fork.

3. Assemble your salad: spinach leaves, slaw, avocado, mango, almonds, salmon...then drizzle the dressing over the salad.

PS - sorry for this totally weird-looking picture. The original photo didn't come out well, so I went a little overboard with the photo editing on iphoto...(this is why I work in finance.)

Its salmon on a salad...you get it, right? :-)