Grilled potatoes in a salad?
Why not?
I know a lot of you would not do that. I know that a lot of people are anti-carbohydrate. We, on the other hand, are very pro-balanced diet.
We eat carbs. And protein. And fat. And ice cream.
You can, of course, do the potatoes and turkey either in a skillet or on the barbecue grill. Chicken breasts will work in place of the turkey. Use a mix of greens if you can – it’s more interesting and healthier.
We’re eating a lot of salads these days, both for lunch and dinner. Now that I think about it, there’s no reason not to have one for breakfast – other than I would have to get up earlier to pick the lettuce.
As usual, I planted way too much lettuce…..
Salad with Potatoes, Turkey and Avocado
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 10oz (300gr) turkey cutlets
- 2 tbs Teriyaki marinade or sauce
- 2 medium potatoes, (10oz, 300gr), cut into bite-size chunks
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 avocado, pitted, removed from shell, sliced
- lettuce for 2 main meal salads, prepared
- Mustard Vinaigrette:
- 2 tbs whole grain mustard
- 2 tbs Greek or plain yogurt
- 1 tbs sherry vinegar
- 1/2 tbs soy sauce
- 2 tbs salad olive oil
Instructions:
- Coat potatoes with the olive oil.
- Either cook in a pan on the barbecue if you are using, or sauté in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat until done and lightly browned, 20 – 25 minutes.
- Put turkey on a plate and spoon Teriyaki marinade over both sides.
- Cook on barbecue grill for 4 – 6 minutes per side (depending on thickness) or sauté in nonstick skillet for the same amount of time.
- Remove and slice into strips.
- Vinaigrette:
- Put all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well to combine.
- Put lettuce into a large salad bowl.
- Add half of the vinaigrette and toss well to coat.
- Divide and arrange on 2 plates.
- Divide and arrange potatoes, turkey and avocado.
- Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette and serve.
While I’m on the subject of carbs and protein…. Can anyone tell me why so many things proudly proclaim that they contain ‘added protein’ or are ‘high in protein’? There are protein drinks and protein smoothies and even breakfast cereals brag about having lots of protein. The recommendation for protein is around 50 grams per day, which most people get in one meal.
I recently had reason to determine my own protein intake and I was shocked to discover it was regularly 90 – 100 grams per day. And that was with only one serving of meat or fish a day.
So why does everyone think they need to add protein to their diet?
Anyone?
Inquiring minds want to know…..
On another subject spring always makes me feel like I’m living in a Jane Austen novel – changing my clothes a dozen times a day….
It’s cool when I get up so I put on my work-out sweats and walk the dogs. After breakfast I go outside to work in the garden.
Once the sun gets a bit warm, so do I. I change into shorts and a t-shirt for the rest of the gardening.
After exercising I shower and put on clean shorts and t-shirt.
The sun sets, it gets cool and I’m back looking for sweats again.
That’s all on a day I don’t leave the house. On Tuesday, I also change into proper clothes to go to class in the morning, come home, follow the above routine until early evening when I change back into proper clothes to go to my conversation group.
No wonder it seems like I can’t get anything done in a day!
I don’t see the protein signs here but our main grocery store is all about advertising “gluten-free” goods. Meat is marked “gluten-free.” Olive oil is “gluten-free.” It’s crazy. Next thing you know the popular votive candles will be marked so. Ditto the mops in the household cleaning supplies section.
Dan, I also love seeing ‘use by’ dates on water. To be honest, we don’t see much of that here. The French are firm believers in adding chocolate to the breakfast cereal. Anything else one is expected to figure out for themselves.
We pretty much eat like you do Katie – all about balance in the diet. Or at least we try to. To give up carbs, to give up meat – no way. As to the above comment – yes there is lots now a days that is gluten free. Thank God….finally! When you are a Celiac and can not eat much of the food available because it is riddled in gluten … and then to finally have good, nutritious, gluten free food is a wondrous thing. Believe me after 20 years struggling to find good, nutritious food, this is a blessing. And all that gluten is bad for ANY human body to consume anyways. The reason I was first attracted to your blog is because most of the meals you make are naturally gluten free – safe for us Celiacs and delicious at the same time. Thanks for sharing your recipes – we love them in our household. (and I say nay to the gluten free “naysayers” any day!)
Ian, really, it’s all about the balance,
It’s wonderful that so many products that traditionally contain gluten are now being made (and made well) without. It has to be such a relief to anyone with a gluten intolerance. Still, like Dan, I don’t think we need labels stating that fruit is gluten-free. Anyone who doesn’t eat gluten already knows that lol (As do most of the rest of us…..)
It is all about balance and if you have a balanced diet you don’t get too much gluten. I agree with Ina, all the gluten free foods and the increased knowledge about what contains gluten, are a blessing for anyone who is Celiac. Before I retired I often had to advise Celiacs and their diet was very restricted years ago.
All the vegetables and fruits available today make it easy to create an attractive, colourful dish which is balanced and uses what is in season. Katie’s recipes achieve that.
I am pleased I’m not the only one muttering about the number of times I have to change my clothes each day thanks to fluctuating temperatures!
Gill, isn’t this weather crazy?!? I worked with a woman with celiac disease and I remember how challenging it was. I think it’s easier to enjoy the wonderful fruits and veggies when one knows it’s not ALL one can eat lol
I think moving here 20 years ago, before there was any packaged food, really forced me into eating fresh and seasonal…. which was a good thing.
I would love to eat that salad right now !
I would share….
I love salads. My IBS, not so much. Neither my husband who, though he insists on a side salad for lunch and dinner, reminds me we are not rabbits and need to eat other things. I do love meat and fish and try for a protein of some kind with every dinner, but we don’t eat many starchy carbs.
Hmmm…wonder if I could get away with a big, grilled salad for memorial day…
And maybe all the added protein is for vegetarians? I don’t know. I don’t get it either.
Now, when it’s from the garden, we eat it every day but I rarely, if ever, buy it during the rest of the year. He needs the carbs at every meal so I’ve just gotten into the habit of adding them, even to salads. I may or may not eat them – depending on the scale lol
Recently went through a major health scare with my 81 year old Mom ( open heart surgery) so have a little insight to the protein thing. My mom was in no way getting anywhere near 50 grams of protein a day. her one egg in the morning was 6 grams and then her salad-y ( is that a word) lunch had maybe 6 again and if she ate dinner she might have gotten another 5-6grams in that meal. so my Mom was subsisting on maybe 20-25 grams of protein a day and total calories at possibly 1500. Post surgery the surgeon wanted her on 3000 calories a day of mostly protein!!! she gained 30 pounds in water retention because she wasn’t getting the protein she needed. Once we got her eating protein about 100 grams a day she lost the water weight and healed! (Thankfully) But in fighting her to get her nutrition I and my siblings realized we might be better at the protein intake than she was but we weren’t making our calories count and still were not getting enough protein. Protein is key in building/repairing the body, losing and maintaining weight. and a lot of people ( at least stateside) do not get what they need.
But then there is also the whackos out there with the new diets and lifestyles that market the need for high protein/low carb, or high protein/nothing else, or high protein/no gluten or high protein/ whatever diets.
Sorry for the long post…
gayle, I know protein is important (so are carbs and fats), but if you have any hint of kidney damage too much can exacerbate any potential problem. And most people don’t realize that there is protein in almost everything one eats. A small potato has 3.5 grams as does a small serving or rice. An orange has 1.5 grams. When I calculate mine only 30 grams was coming from ‘meat’ the other 70 was coming from everything else, including a lot (too much) dairy. So your mom was only eating half of what she should have and I was eating twice as much as I needed. I remember with my own mother at that age…. She had a tendency to get more calories from sweets than anything else so I totally sympathize with the problem of getting decent nutrition into older parents lol
You eat ice cream in your salad?! 😉
(We adore your potato and grilled sausage salad. And now we’re going ot have to try this one too. …if we can find decent avocados, that is.)
One can eat ice cream any time, any where, with any thing. So there!