Tuna Rainbow Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

Transitions between seasons always cause me a little heartache in the kitchen. On Sundays, I sit down and write out our meal plan for the week. Then on a Monday, I do the prep to be organized for our lunch and dinners.

As you know, soups have been on mega rotation in our house – as well as slow cooker meals – but as the weather starts to warm up, some days, soup just isn’t what I want.

This recipe was born out of a craving for something vibrant, easy and quick to prepare with a hangry toddler ready to eat and mum changing her mind at the last minute. And if I can create this under that kind of pressure, so can you.

It’s easy to make this salad your own by switching the greens for kale or adding herbs. Add extra vegetables or change up the seeds. I’ve even added cooked rice or noodles a couple times when we’ve had fewer vegetables in the fridge. The main thing is: this meal is nutrient dense, colourful and the dressing makes it interesting and exciting.

To make it vegan, simply switch out the tuna for tofu or falafel or for my non-vegans, chicken would work great in there also. The world is your oyster… ooh oysters... would they work? Someone try this and let me know.

Jen xx

 

Tuna Rainbow Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

Makes 4 main size servings

GF, DF, RSF, paleo + vegan option

Prep time + tidy up: 5 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

For the Salad

2 x 185g tin tuna in spring water, drained

2 carrots, grated

2 cups iceberg lettuce

2 cups spinach

1 beetroot, grated

1/4 white cabbage, grated

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 pepitas/pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup roast cashews, roughly chopped

1/4 sesame seeds, white or black

Zest from 1 orange as garnish (reserve the juice for the dressing)

For the Dressing

Juice of one orange

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/4 olive oil

1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

5-8 tbsp water – depending on the consistency you want

1 tsp ginger, minced

Method:

Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine. Set aside.

Put all the salad ingredients – reserving the orange zest – in a large bowl and toss gently to combine.

Pour dressing over the salad and combine. You can reserve a little of the dressing and you can add more to suit individual tastes once served.

Garnish with extra seeds and orange zest.

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