This super salad is so virtuous it should come with a halo. But it’s also filling, quick to assemble (perfect after a long day at work) and packed with skin-boosting foods that will make J.Lo jealous of your healthy glow
The recipe comes courtesy of Dr Thivi Maruthappu, Britain’s only dual qualified consultant dermatologist and nutritionist. The London doctor has just published her first book, SkinFood: Your 4-Step Solution To Healthy, Happy Skin (Piatkus, £11.99), which unpicks the links between what we eat and the health of our skin. It’s packed with delicious, nutrient-packed dishes (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) for optimal skin health. And, as someone with a busy job and three children, Thivi is big on quick options, which is music to our ears.
So, what’s cooking, Thivi? “We all need a recipe we can turn to when we want to look and feel our best in advance of a big event. This salad ticks all the boxes and contains some of my favourite skin foods topped with a probiotic-rich tangy miso dressing. It’s both filling and flavoursome as well as being gorgeously good for you. If you’re short on time, feel free to use pre-cooked, vacuum-packed salmon fillets – although try to avoid anything honey-glazed, as it tends to be higher in refined sugar. You could just as easily replace the salmon with spiced chickpeas or crispy tofu, if you eat a plant-based diet.”
The Ultimate Skin Fuel Salad
- Serves 2
Ingredients
- 75g baby spinach
- 40g cashew nuts
- 100g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 avocado, flesh sliced
- ½ cucumber, cut into chunks
- 2 pre-cooked salmon fillets
- 200g cooked grain of choice, cooled
For the dressing:
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- Juice of 2 lime
- 1 tsp honey
- 0.5cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- ½ tsp grated garlic or ½ garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
Method
- Put the spinach, nuts, tomatoes, avocado and cucumber in a large serving bowl. Gently flake apart the salmon fillets and add them to the salad, along with the cooked and cooled grains.
- Put the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until combined.
- Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss together using salad tongs. There should be enough dressing left over for 2 further servings; you can store this in the fridge in a sealed jar for 4 days.
Skin Food (Piatkus, £11.99) by Dr Thivi Maruthappu is out now