If you enjoy watching Game of Thrones (or GOT) then you will be very familiar with a certain phase used ominously throughout the show. In Durban, South Africa, where I am from, we say something similar… “Summer is coming… bru*”!
Your common variety Durbanite will often remind you that Summer is on its way. And while this may seem utterly blatant to those of you who know how to read a calendar and have mastered the art of fitting which seasons belong to which months of the year, what is not so obvious is the hidden meaning behind the words.
You see, when a Durbanite pronounces that “Summer is coming”, what they are more than likely implying is that: you’d better get that lily-white, lumpy, pimply, un-shaven, under-muscled body back to its prime condition, now. Not “just now*”, not “now-now*”… right NOW!
Summer in Durban, and indeed everywhere in South Africa, is not very forgiving to those unprepared for it. This time of year forces everyone to wear the least amount of clothing or the thinnest layers. From about October, you will see the cushioned-coated masses everywhere start to peel off the layers hiding their winter secrets and revealing their true selves for all to see. Don’t say I haven’t warned you. Summer is coming!
I find the best way to get me into the summer mood is with a healthy crunchy salad. This Banting-friendly Low Carb Summer Salmon Salad Recipe is one of my favourites and a big hit with the family. If you are not a big salad eater, I would urge you to give this one a try, it has been known to be enjoyed by even the best veggie-averse men and children out there.
P.S. Here are some translations of South Africanisms used in this post:
*Bru = Pronounced “brew”. A slang term of endearment for your close friends. Adapted from the Afrikaans word “broer” which means “brother”.
*Now-Now or *Just-Now = An obscure term used to describe an action that will take place at any point in time in the future. It is very rarely used to describe immediate action. E.g. “I will clean my room just now”.
Ingredients
- 150g Mixed Lettuce Leaves
- 10 Baby Tomatoes. Halved
- 1/4 Cucumber, Chopped or Sliced
- 1 Carrot, Sliced
- (Any other vegetable salad ingredients you wish to include)
- 4 Eggs, Hard Boiled
- 200g Smoked Salmon/ Trout
- 6 Tbsp Low Carb Mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Xylitol Fine Powder "Icing"
- 1/2 Tsp of Cayenne Pepper (you can add more or less to your preference)
Instructions
- Mix all of the vegetable salad ingredients together in a large salad dish
- Add small slivers of smoked salmon on top of the salad. It should cover most of the area.
- Roughly chop the boiled eggs into small chunks, and add on top of the salmon.
- To make the low carb sweet chilli mayo, just add all of the ingredients together and mix thoroughly.
- Drizzle the sweet chilli mayo over the top of your salad and serve.
Nutritional Information per serving:
Calories: 293,3 Kcal Fat: 22,7g Carbohydrates: 8,8g Dietary Fibre: 2,6g Net Carbs: 6,2g Protein: 17,7g