This Salad is a Post-Menopause Powerhouse (that just happens to taste amazing and I am excited to share it with you. But first, let’s welcome our newest members.
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Welcome in Fascinating Ladies. Like I said, I am excited to share this recipe with all you fascinating ladies, saging with sass and grace in every day life. You see, after 50, our bodies aren’t looking for less flavor, they’re craving more function. That’s where this Asian-Inspired Slaw with Salmon swoops in like the deliciously dressed hero your gut didn’t know it needed. It’s crunchy, refreshing, tangy, and layered with herbs that speak directly to your cells and your sass.
This isn’t just a salad. It’s a gut-healing, hormone-balancing, inflammation-taming symphony disguised as a weekday meal prep dream-salad. Doesn’t that make you want to take your bra off and burn it?
Why it works beyond menopause:
Cabbage isn’t just crunch — it’s a cruciferous queen. It’s rich in fiber and polyphenols, which your microbiome adores, and it contains vitamin U (a compound known to support gut lining repair) and DIM (diindolylmethane), which helps with healthy estrogen metabolism — a big win for post-menopausal balance.
Carrots bring their own magic with a vibrant dose of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, supporting skin, vision, and immune function. Plus, they help regulate inflammation and add sweet balance to the zing of the dressing.
Cilantro and mint are natural detoxifiers and digestive soothers — perfect when your metabolism is recalibrating.
Salmon is loaded with omega-3s to cool the inflammation fire that loves to spark during hormonal shifts and helps keep us remembering our words!
Lime, sriracha, and fish sauce add zing and help stimulate digestive enzymes, especially useful when digestion slows a little after midlife.
Roasted seaweed sneaks in trace minerals like iodine for thyroid support — because your hormones and your mood both deserve a little backup.
Plus, it’s easy to prep, keeps beautifully, and doesn’t require a cleanse, a supplement, or a single expensive superfood. This is functional food, dressed up and ready for real life — just like you. Are you going to give this a try?
Asian-Inspired Slaw with Salmon
Serves: 6–8 | Prep Time: 15–25 minutes (25 minutes if you are too busy dancing to the tunes you put on while making this—hey I don’t judge!)
Dressing Ingredients
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 large limes or 5 small limes)
2 tbsp fish sauce**
2 tsp sriracha
1 tbsp RX Sugar Pancake Syrup***
Prepare the Dressing
In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, sriracha, and syrup until well combined. Set aside.
Slaw Ingredients
1 small head red cabbage (about 1 1/2 lbs), very thinly sliced
2 large carrots, julienned into thin strands or rounds
1 cucumber, thinly sliced (optional: cut into thin sticks)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, rolled and finely shredded
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 pouches or cans of no-salt, skinless, boneless salmon, drained and flaked into large pieces
1 sheet roasted seaweed (nori), for garnish — optional, but totally worth it
Prepare the Slaw
Using a mandolin or sharp knife, shred the cabbage. Julienne or thinly slice the carrots and cucumber. Add all to a medium or large serving bowl.
Roll the mint leaves lengthwise and slice into thin ribbons. Add the shredded mint and chopped cilantro to the bowl.
Give the dressing a final stir, then add it to the slaw one tablespoon at a time, tossing gently until everything is evenly coated. Add dressing to taste — any leftover dressing can be stored in the fridge.
Drain the salmon and flake it into large chunks. Gently layer the salmon over the slaw.
For garnish, tear or slice the roasted seaweed into thin strips or crumble it over the top. Serve immediately. And, just get ready for a good little happy dance in your mouth.
Meal Prep Tip
Divide the undressed slaw into 4–6 airtight containers and refrigerate for later.
Cabbage and carrots hold up very well and even become more flavorful as they sit.
Cucumbers will stay crisp for about 2–3 days. To extend freshness, slice them thicker or store separately.
Mint and cilantro are more delicate — they’ll stay fresh for 2–3 days if mixed in, or up to 4–5 days if stored separately and added just before serving.
For ultra-fresh texture, keep the herbs, cucumbers, and roasted seaweed separate and add them just before serving if you’re prepping more than two days in advance.
Store the slaw mix in a sealed container with a non-bleached paper towel on top to help absorb moisture and maintain crispness.
Keep the dressing and salmon in separate containers and add them right before eating to preserve both flavor and texture.
Substitutions
**If you suffer from gout, swap the fish sauce for coconut aminos.
***RX Sugar Pancake Syrup can be substituted with pure maple syrup.
What Do you Think?
Thank you for joining me today. If you have a recipe you would like to be healthified and turned magically into gluten free, leave a comment and let me know. Don’t have a recipe? How about a comment on today’s recipe…what do you think? And can you see yourself making this for a quick lunch?
Thank you for joining me this week for a tasty delight! If you have a recipe you would like an upgrade to please leave a comment.
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Have a wonderful week,
~Karen
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