With the weather getting warmer, I naturally turn to eating lighter foods, such as salads. Salads have come a long way from the days of iceberg lettuce with sliced tomato. Just about anything from your fridge and pantry can be tossed into a salad, so you’ll never get bored.
Below is a chart for creating salads; simply choose from the Greens, Veggies, Protein, and Fat categories and add to a bowl or plate. The Grains/Starches category is optional, so omit if you’d like. Add a Dressing ingredient, or you can mix several of the ingredients together. (I’ve provided a recipe below). Top with Herbs & Spices, or you can blend them into your salad dressing.
Salad Creator Chart
Greens – Choose 1 or more: Mixed Greens Romaine lettuce Green or red leaf lettuce Butter Lettuce Boston Lettuce Arugula Radicchio Spinach Kale Beet Greens
| Veggies – Choose 2 or more: Cucumbers Tomatoes – fresh or sundried Celery Bell pepper Hot pepper Broccoli Cauliflower Corn Carrot Scallions Red onion Sprouts Radishes Artichoke hearts Zucchini Yellow Squash |
Protein – Choose 1 or 2: Chickpeas Black beans White beans Tofu/Seitan Chicken Turkey Salmon Shrimp White fish Steak Hard-boiled egg | Fat – Choose 1: Avocado Olives Feta Cheese Goat’s Cheese Mozzarella Parmesan cheese Pine nuts Walnuts Toasted Sunflower Seeds or Pumpkin Seeds
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Dressing Olive Oil Avocado Oil Sesame Oil Dijon Mustard Lemon Juice Lime Juice Red Wine Vinegar Rice Wine Vinegar Balsamic Vinegar Tahini Soy Sauce Miso Yogurt
| Herbs & Spices – as much as you’d like: Basil Cilantro Oregano Thyme Mint Dill Parsley Chives Tarragon Rosemary Chili Pepper Dandelion Leaves Sea Salt Black Pepper Garlic Ginger Capers |
Grains/Starches, Optional: Potato Sweet Potato Whole Grain Pasta Brown Rice Quinoa Tabouleh Millet Barley Farro Buckwheat Bulgur
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I often use oil and vinegar on my salads, but this Mediterranean-inspired salad dressing is tasty and easy to make.
Mediterranean Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh basil (if you have it) and/or oregano
1 garlic clove minced or a pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust flavor if you’d like. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Enjoy!
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