Supercharged Springtime Salads
From ladysilver08 9 years ago
- 20 mins to make
- Serves 2-3
Did you know that salads do not have to be filled with leafy greens to be considered a salad? Nope they don't, salads don't have to be all raw either. Salads fill you while you are slimming down. They can be a side dish to your main entree or they can be the entree itself. Read more They're versatile like that. They can be all fruit or vegetable and you can even throw some meat in there as well. So what makes a salad a salad??? Well a salad should be cold with a variety of raw vegetable, fruit or cooked meat and other toppings served dressed or undressed with dressing (felt the need to be specific there with that sentence). That's easy right? Well not really. You've got to be careful with what you choose for salads. Fried chicken strips and store bought salad dressings I will not recommended. When you choose the right ingredients, you can create a meal that is packed with power, energy and nutritional value. If you could replace the fast food lunch you purchase while you are at work during the week, with a healthy salad, you will feel better and the pounds will drop off. If you suffer from diabetes, eating a small salad a day may be a great help in regulating your blood sugar levels. And remember, salads don't have to be all leafy greens, but you can still incorporate them if you like. Now, as for store bought salad dressings. They are full of things that I don't know about and then there are preservatives as well. We don't want that. And please don't get me to talking about the creamy dressings (yuck!). You can make your own salad dressings, even the creamy kind. Its quick and easy. All you need to remember is 3 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar (e.g. 1/4 cup vinegar and 3/4 cup olive oil), salt, pepper and season to your liking and shake vigorously. To make it creamy, use mustard and/or yogurt and shake vigorously. One of my favorites is honey mustard (equal parts honey and dijon mustard). There you have it. Salad dressing in 3 minutes or less. I have 2 salad recipes to share with you today. They are a Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad and a Farro Salad. Brussel Sprouts are high in vitamin C and potassium. Potassium helps reduce your blood pressure, lowers your risk to stroke and heart disease. Vitamin C is necessary for tissue repair. Our bodies do not make vitamin C so we have to get it through our foods (fruits and vegetables). Farro is an ancient grain, in fact it's the oldest grain know to civilization. It's also a good grain. Having the diabetic trait and a husband that has diabetes, it is important for us to watch the amount of carbs we take in, because certain carbs can spike your blood sugar levels. However, we cannot starve ourselves of carbs either. This is sometimes a challenge for us, especially the hubby, because where we are from, a meal isn't a meal without rice. My husband grew up eating both rice and pasta in one meal. So I have introduced him to farro and told him its like rice, but better. Farro is high in fiber and protein. The carbohydrate in farro is known to lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels. It's a win win for diabetics. You can have it hot or cold (like in a salad), either way it's pretty delicious. Try one or both of these salads out. Let me know your thoughts. See less
Ingredients
- Shaved brussel sprout Salad shopping list
- Serves 2 shopping list
- 1/2 lb brussel sprouts sliced by hand or food processor shopping list
- 1/4 cup Dried Cranberries shopping list
- 1/4 cup Pickled ginger carrots - refer to Situation Preparation for recipe shopping list
- 1/4 cup chopped Pecans shopping list
- Dressing shopping list
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar shopping list
- 3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil shopping list
- salt & pepper to taste shopping list
- Farro Salad shopping list
- Serves 2 shopping list
- 1/2 cup Farro shopping list
- 1 cup Turkey or Vegetable Stock - please refer to Situation Preparation for recipe shopping list
- 1 tsp kosher salt shopping list
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries shopping list
- 1/4 Crumble Feta cheese shopping list
- 1/4 Pickled Red Onions - please refer to Situation Preparation for recipe shopping list
- 4-6 Asparagus Spears sliced on the bias shopping list
- 1/4 cup Yellow Peppers chopped shopping list
- Dressing shopping list
- 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar shopping list
- 3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil shopping list
- Salt & Pepper to taste. shopping list
How to make it
- Combine all the ingredients to the brussel sprout salad in a bowl. In a separate small bowl and the Apple Cider Vinegar, the Oil and the salt & pepper. whisk vigorously. Or you can put these ingredients in a bottle or jar with a lid and shake the hell out of it, or until the oil and vinegar have evenly combined. Just a side note; homemade salad dressings will alway settle and separate. you will always need to "shake well before using". After making your salad dressing, pour 1/4 or a little bit more of the dressing, into the brussel sprout mixture and mix all the ingredients well. Save the rest of this dressing for another salad. See Photo
- In a small pot, heat the stock and bring to a boil. Add the salt then the farro and mix well. Allow the stock to come back to a boil then lower the heat so that it is simmering. Let simmer for 20 minutes covered. When done, loose the cooked farro with a fork. Drain any excess liquid and let cool. The farro should be tender but not mushy. Create the salad dressing for this salad the same way you did for the Brussel Sprout Salad. Once the farro is cooled to room temperature, combine all the Farro Salad ingredients together. Then pour in about 1/4 of the red wine vinaigrette dressing. Mix all the ingredients together in your salad bowl, chill and serve. See Photo
- Having Farro my be a little intimidating for some. Most people have never even heard of it. But believe me when I say that Farro is so much more flavorful and versatile than white rice. The nutritional value of farro surpasses rice as well. And as I mentioned before, it's the grain you want to eat if you are diabetic (win win!). Please enjoy these salads either as a side dish or as a meal. They are also ideal to have if you are on a fitness journey.
- ENJOY!
- Carol
People Who Like This Dish 5
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