All about Salad

Happy Wednesday! 

Salad can mean many things. It doesn't always have to be a bowl of boring leafy greens. I like to think outside the box. First of all, it has to be colorful. Don't forget we eat with our eyes first. Make it beautiful! Summer time is just around the corner and that means LOTS of yummy veggies and fruits are coming in season. Yes! New England had a brutal winter and couldn't be more excited about our garden this year. My husband spoiled us! I love picking produce from our back yard! 

Now let's talk about some salads I've been obsessed with lately.. 

It's a pretty lame title but this poppyseed salad I made for a cookout over the weekend was so so good. I followed a recipe for the dressing but when it came to the main components of the salad I kind of just went with whatever sounded good. I unfortunately don't really measure anything either when I'm making my dishes unless I'm following a specific recipe (like the dressing) I will say though that I have a scale at home and I always weigh any protein.

Ingredients

-Romaine lettuce

-Grilled chicken breast

-Red onion

-Green apple

-Dried cranberries

-Flax seed

-Chia seed

-Sunflower seeds

I searched through pinterest and just picked whatever simple recipe I could find. Turned out to be delicious! Here is the link..
http://thekitchenmccabe.com/2013/11/26/the-best-homemade-poppy-seed-dressing/

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This salad I find myself eating every week. I never really make it exactly the same every time. I usually will use ingredients I have on hand or produce that needs to be used up. I always use the same dressing for it which is Ken's Lite Asian Sesame with Ginger & Soy. It's perfect for this salad. 

Ingredients

-Napa cabbage (or lettuce) 

-Cucumber

-Grilled chicken breast (This would also be yummy with shrimp!)

-Scallions

-Flax seed

-Chia seed

-Fresh gourmet Wanton strips (I can't resist these! 35 calories per serving!)

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This is another salad that tends to change but nothing too drastic. For example: In this particular picture I threw some alfalfa sprouts on my salad. That isn't a very common thing for me, haha. Just wanted to use them up! I eat this salad with light blue cheese dressing. :) 

Ingredients

-Iceberg or Romaine lettuce

-Grilled chicken breast (tossed in franks hot sauce) 

-Chopped tomato 

-Cucumber 

-Red Onion

-Flax seed

-Chia seed

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I made this salad a couple of weeks ago for a party. YUM!!  This is exactly what I mean about thinking outside the box. It's a quinoa salad. No lettuce involved. :) I got the general idea from this recipe but I never really stick to it. 

http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/dinner-tonight/southwest-quinoa-salad/

This recipe from Skinnytaste also looks yummy!  http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/08/southwestern-black-bean-quinoa-and.html

Ingredients

-Quinoa 

-Black beans

-Tomato

-Scallions

-Avocado

-Corn

-Lime juice

-Fresh cilantro

-Cumin

-Chili powder

-Fresh garlic

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I love my spiralizer. It's awesome for making zucchini noodes (zoodles) or for making a spiral cucumber salad. I want to try it with the stalks of broccoli. Maybe I'll try this week! :) Anyways. I bought mine on Amazon. Here's the link.. http://www.amazon.com/Spiral-Slicer-Spiralizer-Complete-Bundle/dp/B00NEAO4S2/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1431545749&sr=1-2&keywords=spiralizer

I love a good greek salad. This was my deconstructed version of one. I included beets on the side. Because, well.. beets are awesome. Hah. 

Ingredients

-Cucumber

-Grilled chicken breast

-Red onion

-Feta cheese

-Black olives

Pretty basic but always so tasty. On this occasion I used store bought light creamy greek dressing but I usually just whip up my own using olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley. 

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What's not to love about a simple tuna salad? I'd like to try and ditch the mayo but I still can't do it! I typically add pickles, diced onion and sometimes celery to my tuna. In this picture I kept it pretty simple. No need to really share ingredients. Used mixed greens, sliced red onion and chick peas. Topped with the tuna and some banana peppers. Nom nom! I used a simple balsamic dressing for this salad. 

Well I think that covers my "go-to" salads. With warmer weather approaching, I will be branching out with more salads. Bring on the bean salad! I love cookout food. It doesn't always have to mean chips and dip. Switch it up and bring your favorite salad! 

XO

A