Cooking Done Light

Well even though the temperature has gone down slightly, it’s Thursday and most of us are already looking forward to the weekend. So here is another great no cook meal to get you through until the weekend arrives….

For the Salad:

2 large carrots

1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (heat in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to minutes)

1 precooked store bought rotisserie chicken (meat shredded)

1-inch piece of fresh ginger (grated)

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/4 cup sesame oil

Use a vegetable peeler to shave the carrots into long, thin ribbons. In a large bowl combine carrot ribbons, spinach, onion, sesame seeds, and chicken meat. In a separate bowl, whisk the ginger, vinegar and soy sauce. Slowly add the sesame oil while whisking constantly. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well to coat.

For the Gazpacho:

3 small fennel bulbs, roughly chopped

4 celery stalks, roughly chopped

1 large bunch scallions, roughly chopped

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3 red bell peppers, roughly chopped

2 very large tomatoes, diced [or use 1 (14.5 ounce) can undrained diced tomatoes]

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 (32 ounce) container tomato or vegetable juice (about 4 cups)

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

fresh celery leaves and dill, for garnishing (optional)

Place the fennel, celery stalks, scallions, onion, garlic, and bell peppers in the bowl of a food processor (or blender). Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped (but NOT pureed). Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the tomatoes, oil, salt, tomato (or vegetable) juice, and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Sprinkle with celery leaves and dill (if using) just before serving.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving ( includes BOTH salad and soup): 369 calories, 6 g total fat, less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 24 g carbohydrates, 9 g fiber, 0 g added sugar, 32 g protein, 294 mg sodium, 46 mg cholesterol.