Honestly, it wasn’t too long ago that I turned my nose up at leafy greens, but now I’ve started craving them. This salad is one of my favorites. It falls very low on the effort scale, but very high on the flavor scale. Here’s my smoked salmon salad!
Ingredients
2 cups of fresh “spring mix” greens
1 serving of cherry tomatoes (around 10)
1 hard boiled egg
1 fillet of seasoned smoked salmon
Oil & Vinegar
Pepper
How to Make This Smoked Salmon Salad
Easy! Wash your spring mix, halve the cherry tomatoes, chop up the hard boiled egg and throw it all together with your salmon on top! Sprinkle some oil, vinegar and pepper to taste, and voila! You’re done!
The salad ends up at just around 300 calories, so I usually serve this will some wild rice or quinoa. Hope you enjoy!
Earlier this summer, the FDA issued new rules and regulations on gluten-free food labeling. Prior to this, there wasn’t a real, industry-wide standard to define what “gluten free” meant. When you saw those labels above, it was hard to tell exactly what you were getting…
Now, under the federal definition, a food product can only contain 20 parts per million (or fewer) of gluten to carry a “gluten-free” label. The FDA has been working on these regulations since 2007, and it’s a real win for the gluten free-community!
Check out the article that I found on USA Today:
‘Gluten-free’ food labeling finally has some teeth
By Jane Lerner, The (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News
New law makes it easier for those with celiac disease to shop, cope.
Sometimes Maria Roglieri feels like a sleuth when she sets out to shop.
She carefully analyzes labels, looking for any sign that a food is not as gluten-free as it appears.
Barley? Forbidden. Rye? Forget about it. Soy sauce? Maybe.
“You have to be very, very careful,” said Roglieri, who, along with her teenage daughter, has celiac disease, a serious digestive disorder triggered by gluten. “Even the smallest amount can make you sick.”
The explosive rise in people who eat gluten-free food as a dietary preference has been a mixed blessing for those who suffer from celiac disease, which can only be treated through total abstinence from gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and other grains.
The popularity of such a diet added more and more products to the market labeled “gluten-free.” But it also created uncertainty about what “gluten-free” really meant, since there was no uniform standard applied to the term.
That’s why patients like Roglieri are pleased with long-awaited Food and Drug Administration regulations announced earlier this month that now require foods labeled “gluten free” to have only trace amounts of the protein. For them, the new regulations will make buying food safer and less complicated.
“It allows us to breathe a little easier,” said Gabrielle Simon, founder of a support group at Nyack Hospital for families of children with celiac disease.
For those with the condition, gluten triggers an autoimmune reaction that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients.
As more people follow a gluten-free diet by choice or necessity, food manufacturers are adding more products to meet the demand. Last year, sales of gluten-free products hit $4.2 billion, nearly triple what they were in 2008. Sales are expected to rise to $6.2 billion by 2018, according to industry predictions.
“A lot more foods are available, but you have no idea if they are really safe or not,” said Chris Spreitzer of Croton-on-Hudson, who leads the Westchester Celiac Sprue support group. “If you have celiac, you really need to know.”
The new FDA regulation has been in the works for a long time, starting with a proposal sponsored by U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., in 1999.
The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act became law in 2004.
It required food packaging to clearly list the top eight ingredients that cause allergic reactions, including milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. It also required the FDA to issue standards for the term “gluten-free” — a task that took nearly 10 years to accomplish.
Under the new guidelines, only foods containing 20 parts per million of gluten or less can be labeled and marketed as gluten-free. Experts generally agree that it is not possible to remove all trace of gluten and the standard is small enough not to provoke a reaction in most people.
Food manufacturers have a year to comply.
“It’s been a long time in the making,” said Roglieri, an Italian professor at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill and the author of travel guides for people who avoid gluten.
Alternative Eating | Lo Martinez
exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating
Food is pretty amazing, and I’m not shy about saying that I love it, deeply and sincerely.
Food nourishes my body. It has the ability to act as my medicine. It brings me closer to those I love, whether through sharing a meal or swapping foodie tips and tricks. It provides venues to mix with diverse groups of people and an accessible way to share one’s culture. Yeah, I’m a big fan of food.
Food is wonderful in another way, that I would be remiss if I weren’t to mention: Food provides comfort, which I am often happy to accept.
Yes, I am a self-proclaimed comfort (emotional) eater, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. When I return home after a particularly challenging day, I wash my face, put on a pair of comfy sweats, and head to the kitchen to start cooking.
Like most emotional eaters (EEs), I have an arsenal of comfort foods for any given day. One of my favorite savory go-to’s is the cheesy, delicious, loaded quesadilla.
seasoning (garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper)
1 can of black beans
1/2 cup of white rice
1/4 cup of Mexican blend cheese
1/3 avocado
lime
Fresh Salsa (homemade or store-bought)
How to Make My Quesadilla
After thawing my chicken breast, I usually brush on some light olive oil and sprinkle it with garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper. I throw my black beans on the stove to cook and usually add some garlic, onion and jalapeno if I have it lying around.
While heating up my pan, I dice the chicken and check that there is enough seasoning. (I prefer cooking diced chicken in general because it’s so easy to gauge how quickly it’s cooking and avoid drying it out.)
As the beans simmer and the chicken cooks, I move to assemble the quesadilla.
I start by spearing on some lightly seasoned rice (I’ve been in an instant rice kick) and then sprinkle about half a serving of cheese on top. I slice my avocado, add some lime and garlic salt, and place it on top of the cheese and rice. When the chicken is ready, I put that on top, then take a helping of beans and spread it across the other side of the tortilla. This way, I can trap the “top layer” of cheese and avoid some mess!
I think you all can imagine the rest, but make sure to spray your pan and flip the quesadilla a few times until each side is a warm, golden brown and CRUNCHY!
Then, dig in and enjoy! I know I did!
Alright, I shared one of mine! What’s your favorite comfort food?!
Alternative Eating 