Happy New Year! I’m finally back home after a 2-week road trip to LA with my mom and it was so much fun. It was challenging at times to stick to the Autoimmune Protocol while traveling (my mom has rheumatoid arthritis), but it was a great learning experience for me and I’m going to share soon about how we stuck with it the whole trip so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I made this sardine salad the other day for lunch and it was so darn delicious so I want to share it with you all! If you don’t like sardines, I think this recipe can change your mind. It’s simple and yummy, and the tostones (fried plantains) really do a great job of balancing the flavors of the whole dish. The name of this salad really says it all!

If you have never had sardines before and you just don’t like it because of its appearance or smell, I highly recommend you try it! It’s actually a lot tastier than you think and it’s full of healthy Omega-3 fats, as well as heart-healthy vitamins and minerals. I consider it a superfood because it’s so nutrient dense.

Canned sardines are also a great way to incorporate high quality seafood without blowing your budget. I always suggest you buy wild-caught seafood and the canned versions are significantly cheaper than the fresh cuts of fish.

I hope you start 2017 with healthy and delicious meals like this Start-Loving-Sardines Salad. Cheers to new beginnings!

Start-Loving-Sardines Salad

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Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 4-5 oz canned sardines (preferably wild-caught and in olive oil)
• 1 bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped roughly
• 1 tsp + 2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
• 1/2 greenish yellow plantain, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1/2 avocado, peeled and cut into slices
• Juice from 1/4 lemon

Instructions

• Open up canned sardines and set aside.
• Heat coconut oil or ghee over medium heat in a skillet.
• Sauté the kale leaves in the oil stirring frequently for 1 minute. Season with salt. Pour the oil or water from the sardine can over the kale and cook for 4-5 more minutes until the liquid is evaporated and the kale leaves are wilted down.
• Place the cooked kale on a plate. Lay the drained sardines on the bed of kale.
• Heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil or ghee over medium heat.
• Place the plantain slices in the oil and cook for 3 minutes on each side until golden in color.
• Remove the plantain slices and place them on a cutting board. While still warm, use a flat bottom of a mug or a bowl to flatten each plantain slice to about 1/4 inch thick.
• Return the flattened plantain slices to the pan and fry for 2 minutes, 1 minute on each side. Salt both sides.
• Place the fried plantains on top of the kale. Add avocado slices.
• Squeeze 1/4 of a lemon over everything and serve.