Salad: a bowl of health and happiness
Salads today are packed with flavor, not a plate of wilted lettuce on top of ripe tomatoes and little else. Today’s salads are colorful, appetizing, full of fresh fruits and vegetables. They are appropriate for all occasions. You can create a salad for a family dinner, light lunch, or dinner. The salad can be your main dish. The creation of salads is limitless. If you can dream it, you can create it.
Today’s salads can be prepared at any time of the year. They can be as simple or as complex as you like. Salads can be the main course by adding meat, seafood, or poultry along with greens, vegetables, nuts, fruit, and cheese. Salads will fit very easily into your meal plans. As you get into the habit of adding salads to your menu planning, you’ll find that you’re looking for the ingredients for the next type of salad you want to put on your table.
In this day and age we are encouraged to eat more fruits and vegetables in our diets. There is no better way to add them to your diet than a fresh salad at mealtime.
Salads: keep them fresh
Salads are only as good as the ingredients you use. When shopping for your ingredients, it’s important to make sure they’re fresh. Just as when serving a dish it is important that the view be attractive, let your eyes do the shopping.
Salad recipes:
Greek Salad (4 servings)
Ingredients:
7 ounces Greek feta cheese
2 heads romaine lettuce, shredded
4 tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 cucumber, sliced
24 Kalamata olives, pitted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as Greek oregano, flat-leaf parsley, or basil)
Dressing room:
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Addresses:
1. First make the dressing and reserve.
2. Prepare all the salad ingredients and divide them equally among 4 bowls.
3. Drizzle with dressing and serve. (Do not add dressing until ready to serve)
Salad Dinner (4 portions)
3 ounces cucumber, sliced or diced
8 spring onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded
1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
2-3 radishes, thinly sliced
3 ounces spring mix
1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced
Dressing room:
1/4 cup fresh or frozen berries
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon of water
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
Addresses:
1. Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a blender and puree. set aside
2. Prepare the ingredients for the salad and divide them equally among four bowls.
3. Drizzle with dressing and serve. (Do not add dressing until ready to serve)
Shrimp, Salmon and Tomato Salad (4 portions)
6 ounces grape tomatoes
12 romaine lettuce leaves
4 ounces of smoked salmon
8 ounces shrimp, cooked and peeled
Dressing room:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped
Addresses:
1. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl, set aside.
2. Cut the tomatoes in half. Take the lettuce leaves and place them around the bowl.
3. Cut the smoked salmon into strips. Add the tomatoes, salmon, and shrimp to the bowls.
4. Drizzle with dressing and serve. (Do not add dressing until ready to serve)