Guest post by Alexandra Rothwell, RD, CSO, CDN, Dubin Breast Center, The Tisch Cancer Institute.
When done right, salads are the perfect summer meal–cool and refreshing, made with all the best seasonal produce, substantial enough for a meal, but light enough to keep you energetic. However, even the most enthusiastic salad lovers can experience these two common pitfalls. One is a salad slump–not changing recipes or experimenting with new flavors enough to keep the meal exciting and sustainable. The other is filling the salad with so many calories that it’s no longer a healthy meal. These recipes provide a few ideas to stay healthy, while putting some new life into this delicious meal!
Quinoa Taco Salad
*Makes 1-2 servings.
Prepare quinoa by package instructions.
Combine ½ cup quinoa with ¼ of a medium avocado, chopped; 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro; ½ cup black beans (drained and rinsed); 1 chopped red bell pepper; ½ cup chopped tomatoes; and 2-3 cups chopped romaine lettuce.
Dress with a mixture of the juice from one lime, 1 minced garlic clove, ½ tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon chili powder, salt and pepper.
Italian Tuna Salad from feastofgreen.com
*Makes 2 servings.
Between two bowls layer 2 cups of shredded Napa cabbage; 1½ cups of loosely packed and chopped parsley; 1½ cups of finely sliced fennel; ½ of a small red onion, thinly sliced; ¾ cup chopped celery leaves; 10-20 mint leaves, ½ cup of gigante (butter) beans; and 4-6 ounces of good quality, oil-packed Italian tuna.
Puree the juice from 2 lemons, 3 garlic cloves, ¼ cup olive oil, and 1½ ounces feta cheese. Dress the salad to preference, and season with salt and pepper.
Mediterranean Broccoli Salad
*Makes 2 servings.
Combine one large head of blanched broccoli florets; ½ cup garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained); ½ of a thinly sliced red onion; ¼ cup sliced kalamata olives; ¼ cup raisins; ¼ cup toasted pine nuts; and ¼ cup feta cheese (optional).
Separately, mix ¼ cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 clove of minced garlic; and ½ teaspoon dried oregano.
Dress the salad to preference, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.