Salads

I used to think salads were boring. Wow, I couldn't have been more wrong! True, I've always loved potato salad, but in the past, if someone simply said salad, my first thought was a lettuce, tomato and onion concoction. Nothing wrong with that; I do like an occasional LTO salad. But there are sooo many more salads to fix. Here are a few. Enjoy!

FRESH MOZZARELLA SALAD

This yummy salad comes from Seattle's Macrina Bakery. They have a great email list; sign up for a free monthly recipe.

This recipe starts, "This dish is perfect for warm evenings when turning on the oven is simply out of the question. Leslie's favorite snack of bocconcini (small balls of fresh mozzarella) drizzled with delicious olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt inspired this recipe. Our Fresh Mozzarella Salad is filling enough for a light supper paired with Crostini or Fresh Herb bread. It also makes a beautiful side dish for an outdoor summer party." Serves 4

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch arugula or your favorite garden greens

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon roasted Marcona almonds, coarsely chopped

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

Kosher salt

Coarsely ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Brush the whole peppers with a bit of olive oil, place on the prepared baking sheet, and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the skin is blistered and caramelized. Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a sealed plastic bag to steam for 30 minutes. Steaming the peppers releases the skin. Once the peppers have cooled, peel them and remove the stems and seeds. Slice the peppers into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.

In a small skillet over low heat, warm the garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Thoroughly wash and dry the arugula. Toss it with lemon juice and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Lay on a presentation plate as the base of the salad.

Arrange the peppers and mozzarella on top of the arugula. Drizzle with the reserved garlic and olive oil mixture and sprinkle with oregano, almonds, salt and pepper.

CHICKPEA SALAD

Yield: 2 servings

Source: Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies

Online Recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/622.shtml

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup celery, chopped

1/4 cup red pepper, chopped

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

2 tablespoons lowfat mayonnaise

Pita bread or mixed greens

Directions

In a bowl, coarsely mash the chickpeas.

Add the celery, red pepper, onion, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise and toss well.

Serve over pita bread or mixed greens.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 206; Protein: 10 g; Fat: 3 g; Sodium: 641 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Carbohydrates: 35 g; Exchanges: 1-1/2 Starch, 1-1/2 Very Lean Meat, 1/2 Fat

FETTUCCINE SALAD WITH ROASTED GARLIC, ONIONS, PEPPERS

Serves: 8

Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe

Source: 1,001 Delicious Recipes for People with Diabetes

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/22.shtml

View Online: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/495.shtml

Ingredients2 bulbs garlic

Olive oil cooking spray

3 medium onions, cut into wedges

2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 ounces fettuccine, cooked, warm

Directions

Cut a scant 1/2 inch off tops of garlic bulbs, exposing ends of cloves. Wrap garlic heads loosely in aluminum foil. Spray jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Arrange garlic, onions, and bell peppers on pan.

Bake vegetables, uncovered, at 400 degrees until garlic is very soft and vegetables are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.

Cool garlic slightly; squeeze pulp into small bowl. Stir in oil, lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper. Spoon garlic mixture over pasta and toss; add onions and peppers and toss. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 151; Protein: 5 g; Fat: 4.5 g; Sodium: 184 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Carbohydrates: 24.4 g; Exchanges: 1-1/2 Vegetable, 1 Bread/Starch, 1 Fat

QUICK RASPBERRY DRESSING

Not sure where this is from, but I do know it's a yummy way to top a salad.

Ingredients

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions

Add the raspberries, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar in a blender. Cover, and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. Shake before using.

Additional Tips

You may adjust the amount of balsamic vinegar to your liking. Enjoy!

FATTOUSH SALAD

This comes from the July/August 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times. To view this recipe online, click here.

Serves 6; 30 minutes or fewer

The recipe starts off, “Pomegranate molasses and sumac add a tart edge to this Lebanese salad. They can be found in Middle Eastern groceries and well-stocked supermarkets and used to flavor many other vegetable dishes. Choose larger cherry tomato varieties that can stand up to the other vegetables and the pita chips.”

Vinaigrette

2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. olive oil

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. pomegranate molasses

2 tsp. ground sumac

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

Salad

1 medium head romaine lettuce, halved and sliced into ½-inch-thick ribbons (4 cups)

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

4 small Persian cucumbers, diced (2 cups)

1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice (1 cup)

1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice (1 cup)

3 green onions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)

1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley

3Tbs. thinly sliced mint leaves

1 1/2 cups plain pita chips, coarsely broken up

1/2 cup crumbled feta (2 oz.)

To make Vinaigrette: whisk together all ingredients in small bowl.

To make Salad: Toss together lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, green onions, parsley, and mint in large salad bowl. Add Vinaigrette, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Sprinkle pita chips over top of Salad, and toss again. Top with feta.

nutritional information Per 2-cup serving: Calories: 181; Protein: 4 g; Total Fat: 11 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 18 g; Cholesterol: 11 mg; Sodium: 259 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 7 g

EMERALD SALAD

Makes 4 servings. (6 cups salad)

Source: The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/26.shtml

Online Recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/635.shtml

Ingredients

1 slice oatmeal bread

Canola oil spray

12 Boston lettuce leaves

12 pink grapefruit sections (fresh, jarred, or canned)

12 thin avocado slices (1/2 medium avocado)

2 kiwi fruit, peeled and thinly sliced

12 finely-sliced green bell pepper rings

1/2 cup grapefruit juice

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1-2 Tbsp. honey, preferably clover

1 Tbsp. minced fresh mint leaves, or according to taste

Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

1-1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make croutons, coat one side of the bread with cooking spray. Sprinkle on the oregano. Bake on a rack in the center of the oven for 3 minutes, until the bread is dry and almost hard in the center. Let it sit 2 minutes. With a serrated knife, cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside.

On each of four salad plates, make a bed using 3 lettuce leaves. Place 3 grapefruit sections and 3 avocado slices in the center. Arrange kiwi slices in an overlapping ring around them. Place the 3 pepper rings over the grapefruit and avocado.

For the dressing, whisk together in a small bowl the grapefruit and lime juice, 1 tablespoon honey and mint. Whisk in the oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Taste, and if too tart, add the remaining honey, as desired.

To serve, drizzle dressing over top of each salad. Sprinkle one-fourth of the warm croutons over each and serve.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 159; Protein: 3 g; Fat: 6 g; Sodium: 42 mg; Saturated Fat: 0.5 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 28 g