/> Clean Convenient Cuisine: A Week's Worth of Salads

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Sunday, August 22, 2010

A Week's Worth of Salads

It's summer, and salads are an easy option to dress up with meat, seeds, healthy fats, beans, fruit, etc.  They make great sides to larger dinners, or can be used as the main ingredient. Eating a salad a day can up your amount of raw vegetables, fiber, protein and overall vitamins and minerals. But, sometimes it's hard to keep salads from getting boring. Try versions of these five salads, and mix it up day by day!

Sunday - Romaine Salad

Ingredients:
1 head romaine
1 roma tomato
1/2 red bell pepper
1/3 cup broccoli
2 stalks celery
2 whole carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup blueberries
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/2 avocado
1 large scoop 1% cottage cheese
1 pound whitefish
1 cup brown rice (or other healthy grain)

Purchase a pound of whitefish (or any fish) and bake, grill or saute. Cook a cup of brown rice, quinoa or barley to accompany it.

Chop and rinse fresh romaine. Add 1 chopped roma tomato, red bell pepper, broccoli, celery, carrots, blueberries, slivered almonds and sliced avocado.

Put the salad down first, add a hot scoop of rice directly on the greens and then place the cooked fish on top. Drizzle your own salad dressing (or a lower sodium version of balsamic vinaigrette), add a dollop of cottage cheese and enjoy!

Monday - Spinach Salad

Ingredients:
1 package fresh baby spinach
1 small red onion
1 package white button mushrooms
1 package turkey bacon
3-4 eggs

In a pot, hardboil 3-4 eggs. Once they are done, turn off the heat and let them sit in water while you prepare the other ingredients. In a frying pan, cook your turkey bacon (with a little olive oil) until they are crispy but still chewy. Set aside (and save 3 tbs. of the liquid for dressing). Cut a red onion in half, cut off the top of each half and peel off the skin. Store one half and cut the other half into thin strips. If you like the onions raw (which I do), you can just toss them directly on the salad. If you want to carmelize them, pop them into a frying pan with a dollop of oil and cook them until they are nice and browned. You can do the same thing with the mushrooms. Toss them in raw or cook the mushrooms for a bit more flavor. Plop them into the same pan as the onions and cook them on low until nice and brown.

Meanwhile, pour the water out of the pot with the eggs and cover them in ice to cool them down. Peel and slice thinly, getting rid of some of the yolk, so you are serving mostly egg whites. Chop the bacon, and set everything aside.

Warm Bacon Salad Dressing (optional)

If you want to make your own dressing, here's a quick, healthy retake on a popular classic.

Ingredients:
3 tbs. bacon liquid
2 tsp. organic sugar
4 tbs. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard

In a small pan, pour in the bacon liquid from earlier. Add a couple teaspoons of organic sugar and whisk together. Add 4 tbs. red wine or apple cider vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard and whisk all together. Let warm on low heat while you get the salad together.

Time to put it all together! Place your baby spinach on a plate or bowl and top with bacons, onions and mushrooms. Pour the dressing on top. Gently toss and then add the eggs!

Tuesday - Arugula Salad

Ingredients:
1 package arugula
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. rice vinegar
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 large avocado
2 cooked chicken breasts (optional)

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except avocado and chicken and toss. Divide salad onto plate and top with sliced avocado and chopped chicken.

Wednesday - Mixed Greens Salad

Ingredients:
1 package mixed greens
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup sliced pineapple
1/2 cup walnut halves
1 sliced granny smith apple
2 fillets salmon (optional)
1 tbs. raspberry vinaigrette
1 tbs. white vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil

If you are adding salmon to this dish, prepare either on stove top or in oven. In a small skillet, add walnut halves and sliced pineapple, cooking over medium heat. Once warm, remove from heat. Add mixed greens, cranberries and apple and toss with vinaigrette, vinegar and oil. Spread on a plate or bowl, add warm walnuts, pineapple and place fish directly on top.

Thursday - Butter Lettuce Salad

Ingredients:
1 head of butter lettuce
1 avocado, diced
2 oranges, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup pre-roasted pistachios
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
pepper

Combine olive oil, lemon juice and pepper into a bowl and whisk. Tear the lettuces into bite size pieces and toss with the dressing. Place on a dish and add avocado, oranges and pistachios.

Friday - Radicchio Salad

Ingredients:
1 medium shallot
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
1/3 c. parmesan
2 tbs. grapeseed oil
2 tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tbs. dried oregano
1 medium head escarole, trimmed and cut into 1 inche pieces
1/2 small head radicchio
chopped tomatoes, avocado, green onions

Combine the shallot, garlic, yogurt and 1/3 cup of parmesan, oil, lime juice and oregano in blender. Pulse until well combined. Wash the lettuce and put in a large bowl. Toss dressing with lettuce, add additional toppings and serve!

So, as you can see, there are endless options when it comes to salads. Try and think about using fresh ingredients everyday, or using the extra veggies in your fridge to throw raw onto a salad. Leftover veggies from the night before go great as well, slightly warmed, on top of cool lettuce. Serve with lean proteins. Think outside of the box and start using your fresh produce. Chop up fruit and throw on top of a salad. If you're eating a burger and some asparagus, add a small side salad.

On Sundays, make two or three big salads and divide into individual containers to eat over the next few days. They are filling, often low-calorie (if you are careful with the cheese and dressings) and will add a great dose of fiber to your daily diet.

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