Tag: salad

Garden Salad w/ Yummy Viniagrette

Salads are easy to prepare and are a super convenient way to get more nutrients into your diet. This mix of greens and veggies is easy to assemble and goes great with my Yummy Vinaigrette Dressing.

romaine lettuce

Ingredients

serves 1

Salad

  • 2 cups chopped organic romaine
  • 5 slices cucumber
  • 2 tbsp Sliced red onion
  • 1 radish, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup kidney beans
  • additional protein options: 4 oz grilled organic chicken breast or wild salmon

Yummy Vinaigrette

  • 3 tbsp good quality olive oil
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 Clove garlic minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Gently toss the salad ingredients together, sprinkling the sunflower seeds on top.

Mix the dressing ingredients well and use half for your salad and half for a salad later in the week. Keeps in the fridge for a week. Can easily double the recipe for more.

Easy Green Salad

Green is good! Let me show you a variety of tasty ways you can create a sensational salad. Start with locally sourced organic greens, top your salad with a variety of colorful vegetables, fruits, legumes and a touch of lean protein. Salads are easy to prepare and are a super convenient way to get more nutrients into your diet.

easy green salad

TOTAL: 15 Min

Prep Time: 15 Min

Serving Size: 2 People

Ingredients

  • 3 cups mixed greens (use your favs)
  • 1 cup shredded green cabbage
  • 1 small seedless cucumber, peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup cooked hot or cold kidney beans
  • 1 ripe avocado, sliced

Directions

Gently combine all the ingredients, drizzle with one of my dressings, and serve.

Easy Good Nutrition: Eat 2 Big Salads a Day

leaky gut

Do you indulge and eat lots of high calorie junk food?  If so, it’s time to get serious about eating healthy. I have a solution for good nutrition and you might even lose a pound or two!

added sugars

Get Slim & Sexy With Intermittent Fasting & 2 Salads A Day

A simple way to boost your nutrition is by eating 2 salads (one for lunch, the other for dinner). Really. That’s all it takes.

But you can’t just eat iceberg lettuce. The salad has to be nutritiously-dense. That means you need to include 3 things in your salad:

  1. Dark leafy greens: arugula, spinach, mixed greens, etc.
  2. Healthy fats: nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil
  3. Lean protein.
 

Here’s what I like to put in my everyday salad:

  • Dark leafy greens (mixed greens)
  • Carrots (I like chopped baby carrots for the crunch)
  • Peas (easily digestible vegan source of protein)
  • Sunflower seeds (raw is best)
  • “Krumbs” (vegan-friendly croutons made from cashews and nutritional yeast)
  • Cucumbers
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Balsamic Vinegar (choose one with grape must as the first ingredient, not the cheaper wine vinegar)
  • Strawberries, blueberries or pomegranates

You might think that eating a watermelon salad won’t satisfy your hunger for the first meal of the day. Well, think again. Watermelon actually fills you up fast. The combination of water and fiber in the fruit slightly expands your belly. Plus, the almond cheese and macadamia nuts are filling and contain both healthy dietary fat and protein.

My mason jar salad recipes are great for a busy day – just pack a mason jar with ingredients and GO.

Best Summer Salads To Keep You Full and Lean

In summertime, I love adding fruit to my salad. But notice I didn’t say that I love fruit salads. Of course, eating a serving or two of fruit is super healthy. Fruit salads, however, are 100% carbohydrates. The problem with fruit salad is many times, the serving size is enormous, and there is no dietary fat or protein to balance out the carbs.

So when you make a salad, the base of it (the main ingredient) should always be leafy greens.

My favorite fruits to top on a salad are blueberries, strawberries or pomegranates.

If you’ve never added pomegranates to a salad, you’re going to love it.

Besides the perfect balance of sweet and tart, these tiny little pellets of goodness offer numerous health benefits.

Want a recipe for the perfect summer salad with pomegranates?

Check out my Superfood Power Salad here.

Best Summer Salads To Keep You Full and Lean

In summertime, I love adding fruit to my salad. But notice I didn’t say that I love fruit salads. Of course, eating a serving or two of fruit is super healthy. Fruit salads, however, are 100% carbohydrates. The problem with fruit salad is many times, the serving size is enormous, and there is no dietary fat or protein to balance out the carbs.

So when you make a salad, the base of it (the main ingredient) should always be leafy greens.

My favorite fruits to top on a salad are blueberries, strawberries or pomegranates.

If you’ve never added pomegranates to a salad, you’re going to love it.

Besides the perfect balance of sweet and tart, these tiny little pellets of goodness offer numerous health benefits.

Want a recipe for the perfect summer salad with pomegranates?

Check out my Superfood Power Salad here.

Easy Green Salad Recipe

For now, I’ll leave you with one more awesome summer salad recipe that’ll fill your belly and contribute to a slimmer waistline.

This Easy Green Salad  contains healthy fat from avocado, and high-fiber kidney beans. If you have high blood sugar, kidney beans are the perfect food for managing glucose levels. Not only that, they provide a creamy mouthfeel that counteracts the crunchy greens.

For any of my salad recipes if you feel like you need more protein, you can simply top off the salad with canned wild salmon, tuna fish, chopped egg whites or a lean, organic meat like turkey breast.

Chef V’s Carrot Ginger Salad

Green is good! Starting with fresh locally sourced organic greens, add carrot, celery, radish, red onion, cucumber, and grilled chicken (optional). Top your salad with my Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing. Add 4-6 oz of grilled chicken or salmon (optional for protein).

carrot ginger salad

Ingredients

  • 2 cups mixed greens
  • 1 shredded carrot
  • 1 celery chopped
  • 1 sliced cucumber
  • 1 radish thinly sliced
  • Red onion slices 
  • 4 oz grilled chicken (optional) 

Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing

  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil
  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Blend in blender, add 1 tbsp water at a time to get the thickness you like.

Directions

Layer the ingredients and top with carrot dressing.

If making a mason jar version, layer from bottom to top:
ginger dressing (1 tbsp)
Red Onion
Carrot
Celery
Radish
Cucumber
Lettuce or mixed greens
Add chicken or salmon on top (optional)

Grilled Watermelon Salad

Yes you can grill watermelon! It will reward you with a smoky flavor and lots of sweetness. Combining the scent of outdoor barbecues with the fresh fruit flavors we love, the result is memorable. Try this on your friends and revel in the compliments.

Watermelon is high in potassium, vitamin A,  vitamin C, and it’s super low calorie. 2 cups = 80 calories! Watermelon also provides vitamin B6 and glutathione. The body needs these vitamins, nutrients, and compounds like glutathione for proper immune function. Check out this yummy fun salad with a grilled take on watermelon to bring some versatile flavor to this delicious and nutritious food. – Veronica

easy green salad

Serving Size: 2 People

Ingredients

  • 2 large slices watermelon to grill
  • 3 cups cooked quinoa
  • 3 radishes, sliced
  • 2/3 cup Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (see recipe)
  • 10 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 2 medium ripe avocados, sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, optional
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Directions

Preheat a grill or a grill pan on a stove over medium high heat. Place the watermelon slices on the grill rack or pan and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the watermelon is lightly charred, turning once about halfway through cooking. Transfer to a cutting board and cut each watermelon piece into slices.

In a large bowl combine the quinoa and radish slices and lightly toss with the vinaigrette.

To serve, make a bed of the chopped lettuce on a large serving platter and top with the quinoa mixture. Next, arrange the watermelon slices and avocados, and sprinkle with chili powder and chopped cilantro. Serve with extra vinaigrette on the side.

Quinoa Cooking Tip

Chef’s tip: My fail-proof way to cook quinoa is with a rice cooker. Place 1 cup uncooked quinoa and 2 cups liquid (either 2 cups filtered water or 1 cup filtered water and 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk) in the cooker and set on the white rice setting.

The quinoa comes out perfect every time. If you don’t have a re cooker, place the quinoa and 2 cups liquid into a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer, covered, for about 15-20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat, fluff the quinoa with a fork, and keep it covered until ready to use.

Sweet Watermelon Crunch Salad

Chef V’s tip: To blanch the broccoli, bring a pot of water to a boil, drop the broccoli in for 1 minute, and then remove and cool with ice water. This will make it slightly softer without losing much of the nutritional value.

sweet watermelon crunch salad

TOTAL TIME: 15 min
SERVES: 2-4

Ingredients

  • 2 cups arugula
  • 3 cups chopped watermelon, seeded
  • 2 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 cups chopped broccoli florets, blanched and cooled
  • 2 tablespoons raw pine nuts
ZESTY DRESSING
  • 1/4 cup cold-pressed olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon or dry mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

Plate the greens with watermelon, pears, broccoli florets, and a sprinkling of pine nuts.

Combine the dressing ingredients. Drizzle over the salad and serve.

Super Food Power Salad with Pomegranates

Before I share my yummy Super Food Salad with Pomegranates recipe with you, let me give you a little tip about preparing salads. When I feature kale as the main green in the salad, I’ll squeeze fresh lemon juice on it and let it sit a few minutes. The acid in the juice helps to soften and wilt the greens, making them a little tastier. (I think some people are turned off by kale because of the unpalatable texture of it; the lemon juice helps with this.)

red beet hummus

TOTAL: 15 Min

Prep Time: 15 Min

Serving Size: 2 People

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 4 cups chopped green
  • kale or baby kale
  • 1 ripe avocado, diced
  • ½ cup pomegranate seeds
  • ½ cup red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • Raw pine nuts (or other fav)

Directions

First, squeeze the lemon juice onto the chopped kale and let it sit a few minutes. Then mash the avocado into the greens. Next, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, kidney beans, and your favorite nuts, and serve.

Enjoy!

Balinese Urab Salad

Balinese Urab is a salad made with any of a wide range of vegetables. You can use whatever vegetables you like – I used green beans in this recipe and added red lentils – the variation I learned in my cooking class. Balinese red bean salad: Urab.

Urab has a delicious topping that makes it special. Grated shallots sautéed with herbs and spices are sprinkled over the top of the salad – crunchy and spicy special! – Veronica

easy green salad

TOTAL: 1 hour 15 min

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Serving Size: 2 People

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked red lentils
  • ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1 tbsp. Base Genep (RECIPE)
  • 1 cup green bean, chopped and blanched
    BLANCHED means dropping in boiling water for
    30 seconds to a minute but not cooking completely.
  • 1 cup bean sprouts, blanched
    blanched
  • 2 tbsp. sliced shallots, fried in coconut oil
    (use half to mix in and half for topping/garnish)
  • 1 tsp. kaffir lime leaf, sliced and chopped thin
    (This might be harder to find but specialty Asian markets usually have fresh kaffir lime leaves. If you can’t find fresh leaves, use dried, but do not substitute anything else, as the taste is so distinct it can’t be mocked).

Directions

Mix the coconut, red bean and base genep with your hands very well. You can mix so well that you start to mash the beans slightly but do not over mash, keeping most whole. Add the blanched green beans and bean sprouts. Add half of the fried shallots and kaffir lime leaves. Use a pinch of salt to taste. Mix well and garnish with remaining fried shallots.

© 2021 Chef V, LLC.