4 Summer Salads that don’t make me crave a 10 o’clock snack
BY EVELYN
For a long time, a salad meant some iceberg lettuce, cherry tomato halves, some cucumber if it happened to be lying around, and a light balsamic dressing. A salad was something to be served next to a pile of pasta, or not at all.
Alternatively, these salads are totally filling, the perfect summer meal (and each salad boasts of a super important nutritional value):
1. BEETS, PLEASE
Honestly, sometimes the only way to really enjoy a salad is to minimize the lettuce. This is one of my personal faves, and it is sooo easy to make. I cook the beets a day or two in advance of preparing this, because it’s way better when they’re cold. Then I chop ‘em up, throw in a few handfuls of goat cheese (my favorite is Silver Goat Chevre from Trader Joe’s), and toss in some finely chopped arugula and spinach. If I’m particularly hungry, I might add some cooked (but cold) quinoa. Drizzle balsamic on top, add salt and pepper to taste, and voila!
Beets are super high in fiber, vitamin B9, manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C.
2. SOUTHWESTERN SALAD
The biggest obstacle in my path to becoming a salad lover, was my frustration with the size of the lettuce leaves. I realize this sounds crazy, but I really do believe a salad tastes way better if the lettuce is super finely chopped. Well, maybe not that crazy- it has to do with how well the other ingredients get mixed in. For this recipe, I chop romaine lettuce very finally, toss in a can of rinsed black beans, add a few handfuls of crushed pita chips, halved cherry tomatoes, and avocado, include some crumbled feta, and (most importantly) fresh corn off the cob. I always dress this salad with my avocado cilantro dressing, which you can find here.
Black beans contribute to building and maintaining bone structure and strength.
3. FRUITY SALAD
Ok, so this one sits somewhere between a salad, and a fruit salad.
For this summer beauty, I combine cubed mangos, blood oranges, pre-cooked (cold) golden beets, and crumbled feta. To dress it, I sprinkled freshly chopped mint, drizzle a little olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
This recipe was introduced to me by foodandwine.com and tweaked accordingly.
Blood oranges are rich in anthocyanin, which helps fight off free radicals and inflammation.
4. MEDITERRANEAN INSPIRED
I do this salad differently every time, the only consistent is the roasted chickpeas. These chickpeas are taken straight from the can, strained, and tossed with a little olive oil, siracha, and salt + pepper. Then, they’re put in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, tossed around a little, and in for 10 more minutes.
I usually combine these with some arugula, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, feta, avocado, bell peppers- or whatever else I have around.
For dressing, I go light, a little olive or avocado oil- the chickpeas do most of the work!
Chickpeas are super high in iron, zinc, folate, phosphorus, and B vitamins.
Related posts
