Thai Wild Rice Salad with Seared Salmon

I love making New Year Resolutions, setting goals, and planning ahead. Especially after a rough year like 2014, I am looking forward to a fresh new start this year. Change is good and I’m ready to welcome changes in 2015.

2014 nearly unraveled me. Getting divorced and having baby at the same time made for quite a year. There were days, weeks, months of 2014 that I wasn’t sure I was going to survive. But here I am, still standing and suiting up for another round of life. I’m here, right now, still breathing, so I’m calling the year a success.

This year, I’m not making a lot of resolutions. No diets, no exercise regime, no plans to run any marathons or find a new hobby or clean out the garage. Not this year. This year I just want to be brave. 

I don’t know how it’s going to unfold for me and I’m still not quite sure what Brave will look like. But I spent so much of this past year feeling terrified . . . of the future, of the past, of people’s opinions and judgments, of selfishness and cruelty, of uncertainty, of opening up, of telling the truth. It was a heavy year. 

Now, facing the promise of a new year, I’m resolving to be brave. Like the Mother Abbess, I want to try to keep more faith in my doubts. I want to face the fear and open myself wide to it all. I want to be honest and steadfast and brave on the rocks. 2015 is a year of climbing mountains. I’m ready.

This is a delicious, healthy Thai Wild Rice Salad with Salmon, apropos of nothing really. Although, I will say, like I’m sure I’ve said before, that good food makes all the difference. So, whatever journeys of the mind and travels of the heart you’re taking on this year, arm yourself well with a bowl of something healthy, something warm. This Thai Wild Rice Salad with Salmon ought to do the trick.

You can make this Rice Salad for lunch, for a lighter dinner, or as a side dish. It isn’t fussy and it only takes about 45 minutes from start to finish. The Thai flavors, which I’m very partial to lately, make this a vibrant Rice Salad and the salmon fills you right up. This is the kind of dish I’m eating a lot of these days – healthy and tasty!

Yield: 2 to 4

Thai Wild Rice Salad with Seared Salmon

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Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup wild rice
• 10 oz boneless, skinless, wild caught Salmon fillet, cut into approximately 2 oz pieces
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

For the Dressing

• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• juice of two limes
• 3 tablespoons Tamari (or soy sauce)
• 2 tablespoons raw honey
• 2 teaspoons siracha
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Place the fish fillets and 1/3 cup of the dressing in a ziploc bag and gently roll the bag to coat the salmon with the dressing. Refrigerate the salmon in marinade for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, bring 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil. Add the rice, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is fluffy and tender. Remove from heat.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the salmon fillets and discard the marinade. Cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side (4 minutes total) until the salmon is fully cooked and begins to flake easily. Cool slightly.
4. In a large bowl, combine the rice, remaining dressing, pepper, mango, herbs, and onions. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with salmon pieces and sprinkle with slivered almonds. Enjoy warm or chilled.

Notes

Adapted from Clean Eating

Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. Steven Pressfield