The most common resolution made at the beginning of the New year is to lose weight. But this resolution soon wavers if the healthy food we eat is not tasty as well. Well to help you you’re your resolution this year we are kick starting our “Try Something New ” festival with innovative new salad ideas. Using the wonderfully exotic variations on just about anything that goes into a salad bowl, from unique leafy greens and vegetables, mind boggling fruit, unusual nuts and a plethora of cheeses and meats from around the world we leave no excuse for NOT eating that salad AND having fun making it. And once you have your salad together we have a variety of options to dress them using the range of fabulous dressings from around the world. Everything from a simple vinaigrette to an indulgent creamy Italian dressing to Fat Free Options on classic well loved dressings… Who says healthy can’t be tasty?
To make a good Salad you have to understand the construction of a good salad.
Construction of a salad
Step 1 – Making a simple Green salad which can be the foundation of a more elaborate one.
Ingredients-
- 200g assorted lettuce leaves, washed and torn to bite-size pieces
- 1 tbsp quality EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive oil) or other oil
- ½ tbsp vinegar (white wine, red wine or balsamic) or 1 tsp lemon juice,
- salt
- freshly ground pepper.
OR - 1 box of Trikaya premixed Salad
- 2 tbsp ready vinaigrette such as the Goldyna Red Wine Vinegar Dressing
Method-
Place salad leaves in a bowl. Pour dressing over and toss to gently coat the lettuce leaves. Begin with a tablespoon of dressing and increase if required. Serve.
Step 2 – Building a Green Salad into a Garden Salad
2 parts assorted leafy greens OR 2 boxes Trikaya premixed salad
2 parts as many different diced vegetables as you wish. Pick from common vegetables like tomato, cucumber, onion, spring onion, carrot and radish, blanched beans and cauliflower or more exotic options like sweet peppers, mushrooms, olives, capers, broccoli, zucchini (steamed) and sweetcorn
A dressing of your choice
Method-
Place everything in a large bowl and toss gently till well coated.
Step 3 – Building your Garden Salad into a full meal! Make your garden salad into a complete meal by adding carbohydrates and protein. To make meal of salad you can add a combination the following to your garden salad.
- 3 servings of grain choose any 3 from below list;
- 1 slice bread (toasted/baked croutons or crostini)
- 1 cups ready-to-eat cereal (oats, muesli)
- 1/2 cup cooked cereal, (Cous Cous, Quinoa, Bulghur)
- 1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta,
- 2 corn taco shells broken up or 8 nachos chips
- 3 cups air-popped corn or other seeds like amaranths,
- 1 medium boiled potato
- 1-2 servings fruit, choose from;
- 1 medium piece of fruit or a melon wedge,
- ½ grapefruit,
- ½ cup berries or grapes,
- ¼ cup dried fruit such as red raisins, cranberries, dried papaya, pineapple or tropical fruit
- 1 serving dairy choose from;
- 1 cup yogurt
- 2 ounces cheese like a feta, mozzarella cheese, cheddar, Parmiggiano Regiano or even Gorgonzola
- ½ cup paneer
- 1-2 servings protein, choose from;
- 1/3 cup cooked lean meat, poultry (turkey ham, turkey loaf, salamis) or fish like Prawns, Basa fish fillets or
- Smoked Salmon
- 1/2 cup cooked beans like cooked chickpeas, canned beans
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons peanut or sesame butter,
- 1/3 cup nuts such as almonds, peanuts or more exotic pecans, hazelnuts or pine nuts.
- 1/2 cup tofu
* Recipe Specially designed for Natures Basket by Celebrity Gastronome Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal
