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

Salad Days

Those of us growing up during the 1950s and early '60s frequently associated the word salad as synonymous with a lettuce-and-tomato-and-sometimes-an-onion concoction with an oil-and-vinegar dressing. Sure, sometimes there would be potato salad (a Big Deal at our house) or the occasional Waldorf salad, one had one someplace fancy. (We won't even mention the Jello-mould salad, a jiggling concoction with its very own moulding tin, usually with bits of fruit cocktail suspended inside.) No wonder many of us viewed salads as either: a) boring, b) lame, or c) something to be changed.

Now, I have no qualms with the occasional lettuce-and-tomato-and-sometimes-an-onion salad, occasional being the operative word, here. And I definitely love potato salad. But please...if you're going to bring me jello, with or without fruit suspended in it, please don't call it salad. Dessert? Yes. Snack? Okay. Salad? Um....no.

With that in mind, today's offerings are definitely not your run-of-the-mill boring salads. Enjoy!

DECADENT TROPICAL FRUIT SALAD

Not sure where this one came from, but it would almost make for a nice dessert or afternoon treat.

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

2 (6 oz.) containers lemon yogurt

3/4 cup sugar

3 bananas, diced

1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained

1 (10-oz.) jar maraschino cherries, chopped and drained (reserve one whole cherry for garnish)

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Mint leaves (for garnish)

In a large bowl, beat together first three ingredients until well mixed. Stir in remaining ingredients, except mint. Spoon into a 1 1/2-quart glass bowl. Garnish by putting reserved cherry in center and arranging mint leaves around it to form a flower. Cover and chill 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Number of Servings: 10-12

GRILLED SUMMER VEGETABLE SALAD WITH CHICKPEAS AND BASIL

Serves 4 to 6

Another one that I'm not sure on its origins. It had been on some recipe list that I'd once subscribed to, years ago. The writer, though, has added, "Enjoy the summer harvest with this delicious salad. Freshly grated parmesan provides the best flavor but experiment with other cheeses like feta, gruyère or Manchego, if you like."

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling the grill

1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and quartered

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and quartered

1 small red onion, cut into thick rings

2 zucchini, thickly sliced lengthwise

2 yellow squash, thickly sliced lengthwise

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped basil

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Oil grill grates, then preheat grill to medium high heat. Working in batches, grill peppers, onions, zucchini and squash, flipping once, until just charred in parts and tender, 6 to 8 minutes total; transfer to a large platter as done. Set aside to let cool before cutting into bite-size pieces.

In a large bowl, combine grilled vegetables, garlic, vinegar, oil, basil, chickpeas, salt and pepper. Garnish with parmesan and serve immediately or cover and chill until ready to serve.

Nutrition Per serving (about 11oz/326g-wt.): 230 calories (80 from fat), 9 g total fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 620 mg sodium, 29 g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 10 g protein

WATERGATE SALAD

The recipe ends with "From GE." Not sure, since it's an old email. This, like the infamous Jello salad, sounds more dessert-ish than actual side-dish.

Ingredients

1 small box (3-1/2 ounce) pistachio instant pudding mix

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple

1 container (9 ounces) non-dairy frozen whipped cream topping, thawed

1 cup colored marshmallows

1 cup flaked coconut (optional)

Chopped nuts (optional)

Preparation

Mix all ingredients together and spoon into a casserole dish or bowl.

Top with additional colored marshmallows.

Chill until set.

TUSCAN BEAN SALAD

from Diabetic Gourmet. Great for a light summer lunch by itself!

Yield: 2 servings

Source: "Mix 'N Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes"

Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/13.shtml

Ingredients

1 cup rinsed and drained small white beans (cannellini or navy)

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 (6 ounce) can white meat tuna packed in water

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Paul Newman's Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Salad Dressing

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 head red leaf lettuce

2 cups tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Directions

Place beans in a serving bowl and add onion.

Drain tuna and break into large flakes. Add to the beans. Add half the parsley, 2 tablespoons dressing, and salt and pepper to taste. Gently toss.

Arrange lettuce leaves on a serving platter and spoon salad over the leaves.

Toss tomatoes with 2 teaspoons dressing, add salt and pepper to taste, and toss again. Arrange tomatoes around edges of salad plate. Sprinkle tuna and tomatoes with the remaining parsley and serve.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/2 of recipe): Calories: 352, Fat: 8 g, Cholesterol: 21 mg, Sodium: 612 mg, Carbohydrate: 36 g, Dietary Fiber: 10 g, Sugars: 8 g, Protein: 30 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 Starch, 3 Very Lean Meat, 2 Vegetable, 1 Fat

AMAZING VEGAN "CHICKEN" SALAD

Another recipe that I have no clue of the origins. Maybe some vegetarian emailing list? Very yummy, though.

Serves 4

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

2 cups vegan "chicken" tenders

1/4 cup diced celery

1/4 of a small onion, diced

5 to 10 thinly sliced grapes

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1 teaspoon of sweet relish

pinch of baby dill

salt and pepper to taste

4 heaping tablespoons of Veganaise

Directions:

Fry up the "chicken" tenders in a bit of oil. Let them thaw and brown until they are golden (about 10 minutes). Toast the slivered almonds in the oven for a few minutes (5 to 7 min.) Remove both "chicken" and almonds from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Cut up the tenders so they are a bit smaller. Add 2 tablespoons of veganaise to the "chicken" tenders. Chop up the celery, onion, grapes, and dill. Add to the "chicken" and veganaise and stir. Add the other two tablespoons of veganaise and almonds to the mixture. Add a bit of sweet relish, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir and enjoy! This is incredibly delicious!!