This is more of a method than a recipe. You can swap out the salmon with either chicken or steak. The salad is very versatile in that you can pretty much top it with any of the following ingredients:

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Peppers – Green, Red or Yellow
• Boiled Eggs
• Onion
• Carrots
• Mushrooms
• Chickpeas

The most important part of this recipe is the protein. Whether you choose chicken, steak or fish…make sure you cook/grill it correctly. I like to set my meat out (when possible) for about an hour to come to room temperature. Before cooking, I season the meat with salt & pepper. Then I coat my pan with a healthy amount of olive oil. Once the pan is sizzling hot, I put the meat on and sear it on each side. If I am cooking steak or salmon, I like to cook it to a nice medium rare. When cooking chicken, I make sure it is well done. Then I set it on a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes. This will ensure that your meat stays nice and juicy!

While your meat is cooking, start on the base of your salad – lettuce, spinach, baby kale or arugula. Top your greens with your vegetables. I like to chop mine in pretty thick pieces, especially if I am meal prepping a salad for lunch the next day. There is nothing worse than limp, soggy vegetables.

If I am making chicken or steak, I go ahead and slice it into strips or pieces. A tip my Grandpa taught me was to always cut your meat across the grain to make sure that it wasn’t tough. With the salmon tonight, I left it whole and will cut it before I eat it at lunch tomorrow.

I hope that you enjoy!