As much as I love, and I mean, LOVE, creamy dressings and sauces, I rarely prepare them at home. To me, it’s not worth the extra calories. So when I come up with a recipe that accomplishes the creaminess that I’m after with only a fraction of the calories, I do a little happy dance. And then I make the recipe over and over and over again.
My absolute favorite breakfast sandwich is smoked salmon with cream cheese, red onion, tomato and capers on a poppy seed bagel. My goal was to take the flavors of that breakfast and turn it into an entrée salad without using a large block of cream cheese.
Mission accomplished.
Creamy Smoked Salmon Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients (serves 6)
- Israeli couscous {I box, prepared according to package}
- 2.5 oz. goat cheese {about a quarter of a small log}
- 1 cup 0% Greek yogurt
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- Salt and pepper
- 1/8 cup chives, snipped
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 8-10 grape tomatoes, quartered {add as many or as few as you’d like}
- 4 oz. wild sockeye smoked salmon
Instructions
Prepare the couscous as directed by the package; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, goat cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, chives, parsley, salt and pepper.
Flake or chop the salmon into bite size pieces. Add the salmon, tomatoes and couscous to the yogurt dressing. Stir well to combine. Serve immediately.
I like to serve this warm, but it can also be served cold.
The tanginess of the goat cheese and the lemon give this salad a great brightness. The combination of Greek yogurt and goat cheese achieves the creaminess I was after without being heavy. The smoked salmon provides a bit of richness and I just love being able to walk out to my garden to grab any herbs I want. In this case, parsley and chives. I added tomatoes for a bit more texture on top of the chewiness of the Israeli couscous.
This would be a great dish to bring to a potluck. Just don’t expect to have any leftovers to take home.
Enjoy!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
this salad sounds so great. i made a salmon pasta once that was terrible, but the goat cheese & herbs must be amazing!
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I love it–can’t get enough!