Summer Salad Time

When you’re trying to eat healthy, a salad seems like the obvious choice at home or out. And salads are great in the summer when you don’t want to spend much time over the stove. But, if you’re like me, salad gets boring and doesn’t always leave me feeling full or satisfied. Here are some tips I found in Women’s Health magazine for creating a salad that gets you the nutrients you need, will leave you full and satisfy your appetite for something tasty.

1. Be creative with the base…start with dark leafy greens. They are much more nutrient packed than iceberg. Try a combination of 1 ½ cups leafy greens (spinach is my go-to) and ½ cup cooked whole grains like quinoa (which is a great add for vegetarians because it will give you protein) or couscous.

2. Add some protein…try 2 ounces of crab or fish (smoked, canned or fresh), 5 large shrimp, 3 ounces skinless chicken breast (broiled or grilled), ¼ to 1 cup cooked beans (garbanzo, cannellini or black) or 2 ounces marinated, cooked tofu.

3. Color…adding veggies with some color will not only make your salad look pretty, it will give you a variety of nutrients. Try ¼ cup chopped red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, ¼ to ½ cup chopped red, yellow, orange or green tomato, ¼ cup chopped beets, ¼ cup shredded carrot, 1-2 slices of red onion.

4. Toss in something soft…this will make your salad more satiating. Just be careful not to load up on too much cheese or you’ll end up consuming more calories than wanted. Try 1-2 teaspoons of a soft cheese such as feta, goat or blue cheese, ¼ of an avocado (my favorite) or 1 heart of palm.

5. Fire up the flavor…spicy, tart or sweet ingredients can offset some bitterness of the leafy greens and also satisfy your cravings. Fresh fruit or herbs can add a lot of needed flavor without adding extra fat. Try ½ cup oranges, pears or strawberries chopped for sweetness. Radishes, scallions, chives or jalapenos will give you a tangy or spicy taste. For a zesty flavor, add herbs such as cilantro, basil, oregano or tarragon.

6. Top it off with a crunch…nuts and seeds are great choices because they will fill you up and many are top sources of antioxidants and vitamins. Try 1 to 2 teaspoons nuts such as pecans, walnuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts, almonds or pine nuts, seeds like pumpkin, sunflower sesame or poppy. Or make your own whole grain croutons by toasting a whole wheat baguette or pita.

Be careful when adding salad dressing; measure it out before you start adding. Add flavor with other toppings and go light on the fatty dressing. Here is one recipe with nutrition info…although being vegetarian I would leave out the chicken, maybe add some quinoa. But either way, yum!

Berry Goat-Cheese Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

1 Tbsp pecans
3 cups baby spinach
½ cup halved strawberries
½ cup blueberries
1 yellow tomato, cut into eighths
2 purple radishes, thinly sliced
1 skinless chicken breast (6 oz), grilled
1 Tbsp goat-cheese crumbles

Dressing:
¼ cup sliced strawberries
1 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 ½ tsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp orange zest
½ tsp sugar
2 Tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
1 large pinch kosher salt

Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor, or whisk together until smooth. Toast pecans in a 400 degree oven for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. In a large bowl, combine spinach, berries, tomato and radishes. Drizzle with dressing and toss gently. Divide salad between 2 plates. Place half the chicken on top of each salad. Sprinkle with nuts and goat cheese.

2 servings
Per serving: 222 calories, 6 grams fat (1 gram saturated fat), 21 grams carbs, 567 mg sodium, 5 grams fiber, 23 grams protein

Karen Ansel, R.D. "Build a Better Salad." Women's Health July/August 2011. Pages 130-134.