Winter Salad
by Marjan
Lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, and dressing: sounds pretty boring to me! Yes, you can try different dressings to gain variety. But what if you had a dressing that would make any carnivore come to nibble over to the other side? It can be done; I’m living proof. For me, salad was just another diet food. It never made me feel full or satisfied. I used to force myself to consume salad in order to gain fiber and nutrients.
Then I decided to get creative! Using seasonal fruits and vegetables in my salad really made an ordinary salad into a crave! From one carnivore to another: there is nothing like a juicy steak, but this salad will knock your hoofs off!
With this recipe, be creative! Use whatever variety of green lettuce you like; use any vegetable or fruit you like. If you don’t like bell peppers, don’t use them! If you like the dressing more sweet, add more strawberry preserve, and vice versa. Don’t like almonds, substitute hazelnuts or walnuts. Love Feta chesses, toss out the parmesan. You can’t go wrong. Make this salad your own! After all, it is a complete meal all by itself.
Mixed lettuce leaves (or any dark green lettuce you like with spinach, arugula, radicchio, etc)
1 large tomato-bite size cut
½ bell pepper-bite size cut
¼ cup thinly sliced purple onion
½ cup sliced mushrooms
1 small apple-cubed
¼ cup slivered almonds
½ cup freshly parmesan shavings
1 cup of any seasonal fruit available in your market: Pomegranate seeds, persimmons (cubed), orange slices, pears, etc.
Dressing:
2 large lemons
¼ cup strawberry preserve
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 ripe avocado- cubbed
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
In a small bowl, zest entire lemon and squeeze all of its juices. Add preserve, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper to lemon juice and mix with a fork and set aside. If you wish to make your dressing ahead of time, cube the apples and avocados and mix in with the dressing to prevent browning.
In a large salad bowl, use any green leaf lettuce or a combination of lettuce, spinach, arugula, radicchio etc. Add all the ingredients such as tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, mushroom and seasonal fruits of your choice. Before serving, introduce the dressing to your salad mix and toss thoroughly. Garnish with slivered almonds and parmesan cheese shavings.
This salad is filling and nutritious…let’s not forget how good it tastes and makes you feel!
Lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, and dressing: sounds pretty boring to me! Yes, you can try different dressings to gain variety. But what if you had a dressing that would make any carnivore come to nibble over to the other side? It can be done; I’m living proof. For me, salad was just another diet food. It never made me feel full or satisfied. I used to force myself to consume salad in order to gain fiber and nutrients.
Then I decided to get creative! Using seasonal fruits and vegetables in my salad really made an ordinary salad into a crave! From one carnivore to another: there is nothing like a juicy steak, but this salad will knock your hoofs off!
With this recipe, be creative! Use whatever variety of green lettuce you like; use any vegetable or fruit you like. If you don’t like bell peppers, don’t use them! If you like the dressing more sweet, add more strawberry preserve, and vice versa. Don’t like almonds, substitute hazelnuts or walnuts. Love Feta chesses, toss out the parmesan. You can’t go wrong. Make this salad your own! After all, it is a complete meal all by itself.
Mixed lettuce leaves (or any dark green lettuce you like with spinach, arugula, radicchio, etc)
1 large tomato-bite size cut
½ bell pepper-bite size cut
¼ cup thinly sliced purple onion
½ cup sliced mushrooms
1 small apple-cubed
¼ cup slivered almonds
½ cup freshly parmesan shavings
1 cup of any seasonal fruit available in your market: Pomegranate seeds, persimmons (cubed), orange slices, pears, etc.
Dressing:
2 large lemons
¼ cup strawberry preserve
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 ripe avocado- cubbed
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
In a small bowl, zest entire lemon and squeeze all of its juices. Add preserve, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper to lemon juice and mix with a fork and set aside. If you wish to make your dressing ahead of time, cube the apples and avocados and mix in with the dressing to prevent browning.
In a large salad bowl, use any green leaf lettuce or a combination of lettuce, spinach, arugula, radicchio etc. Add all the ingredients such as tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, mushroom and seasonal fruits of your choice. Before serving, introduce the dressing to your salad mix and toss thoroughly. Garnish with slivered almonds and parmesan cheese shavings.
This salad is filling and nutritious…let’s not forget how good it tastes and makes you feel!
