[Jillegal]

Okay folks, show me your best salads! Its summertime and we need lots and lots of low calorie, low fat, high fibre and tasty salads to go along with our lean bbq meats and/or to take to work for a nice, light lunch!

Those summer weekends are looming - let's build up a stash of healthy salads

Here's a fab one to start (colourful and yummy - goes great with grilled fish, in particular)

Couscous/Bean Salad

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups cooked whole wheat couscous
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped
Juice of two large lemons
1 tbsp olive oil

PREPARATION:
Combine couscous, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, garbanzo beans and mint in a large bowl. Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil. Pour over couscous salad and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Serves 6.

Per Serving: Calories 162, Calories from Fat 28, Total Fat 3.2g (sat 0.3g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 126mg, Carbohydrate 28.4g, Fiber 5.1g, Protein 5.1g

[Sheila53]

For any of you on Weight Watchers, this is a Core recipe. Don't know how many points it would be, though, and I don't know the NI--sorry.

Black Bean Avocado Salad
Recipe By : Taste of Home Magazine
Serving Size : 8

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 can black beans -- rinsed and drained
1 can Mexican style corn -- drained
1 1/3 cups avocado -- chopped and peeled
1 cup cucumber -- chopped and seeded
1 cup tomatoes -- chopped and seeded
1/2 cup green onions -- thinly sliced
1 small jalapeno pepper -- seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon lime juice
Dressing:
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and toss to coat.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

[Jo]

I love it! I always leave out the bananas, though.

Pistachio Creme Fruit Salad
From Cooking Healthy with a Man in Mind by Joanna Lund

1 package JELLO-O sugar-free inst. pistachio pudding mix -- (4 serving size)
1/3 cup Carnation nonfat dry milk powder
3/4 cup Yoplait plain fat-free yogurt
1 cup (one 8-ounce can) crushed pineapple -- packed in fruit juice, undrained
3/4 cup Cool Whip Lite®
1/2 cup (1 ounce) miniature marshmallows
1 cup (1 medium) diced banana

In a large bowl, combine dry pudding mix and dry milk powder. Add yogurt and undrained pineapple. Mix gently to combine. Stir in Cool Whip Lite. Add marshmallows and bananas. Mix gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 15 minutes. Gently stir again just before serving. Serves 6.

Serving size (2/3 cup)

Per serving: 125 Cal, 1g Fat, 3g Pro, 26g Carb, 258mg Sod, 1g Fib
Healthy Exchanges: 2/3 Fruit, 1/3 Skim Milk, 1/2 Slider, 5 Opt. Cal.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Fruit, 1/2 Starch
Weight Watcher Points: 2

[lessofsarahtolove]

This dinner salad has been a real standard for me since last spring. It's really satisfying and didn't make me feel at all deprived when I was eating with someone eating all kinds of off-plan hoo ha. You'll see that it's got a higher fat/lower carb percentage. When I plan my meals, I look at the day as a whole (actually the week as a whole!) thinking also of what I need, when. I tend to do the majority of my carbs earlier in the day, and sometimes a little more of my allotted fat later in the day, when I'm more prone to want to munch and could be helped out by feeling more satiated. It's the good fat though, the kind that promotes good cholesterol and helps your body in all sorts of important ways -- and when I was living 100% on plan, it fit in nicely in an overall 20-25% fat day. I use bagged veggies when I can, to save time.

Dressing:

½ tbsp. olive oil
1¼ tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. reduced fat feta (I get Athena brand because it's what I can find)
¼ clove garlic, minced and crushed with a tiny bit low-sodium “salt” (less if you want)
1 tbsp. water
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Prepare the dressing first, putting all the dressing ingredients in a bowl large enough to accommodate the entire salad. Adding the olive oil at the end, whisk the ingredients until you have a smooth emulsion.

2 cups chopped romaine
2 cups chopped baby spinach (bagged)
1 chopped Roma tomato
¼ cup shredded carrots (bagged)
¼ cup refrigerated, boiled, unsalted soybeans (edamame – I get it bagged and frozen from Safeway and either boil it or sautee it in a nonstick pan)
A few finely sliced ribbons of red onion
Several big leaves fresh basil, torn
Several leaves fresh mint, chopped pretty finely (if you don't have it, dried would be ok in a pinch -- ha! Pun unintended.)
3 oz. grilled or broiled skinless chicken breast, rough chopped

Add all the ingredients EXCEPT the chicken and mix thoroughly so that everything’s well coated with the dressing. Only after everything is coated do you add the chicken. (In this way, the chicken doesn’t soak up all the dressing.)

Calories: 391
Fat: 17g (4g saturated)
Protein: 39.9g
Carb: 20.6g
Fiber: 10.1g (!)
Plus: LOTS of potassium (which is lacking in a lot of our diets,) low sodium, and plenty of iron, Vit A, and folate.

Hope someone likes this! This salad was a real friend to me when I was losing so well.

[kykaree]

This one of my favourites, a good accompaniement to grilled chicken. No idea on the NI and the dressing is flexible, sometimes I eschew the oil altogether

Penni and Zoes Good News Salad
serves 4

Dressing:
4 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tahini
small amount of sugar to taste (optional depends on quality of said vinegar)

1 packet baby spinach
I small box of strawberries, sliced
handful sunflower seeds

Shake dressing ingredients in a jar until well combined (the colour is not attractive, it is meant to look like that!!!!)

Pour over the other ingredients

Hey presto your done!!!!

[DishyFishy]

Okay, here's one of my faves from Ali was hungry and poor, so had to use what was already in the cupboards! It's very filling but might be too high in fat for some people. I hope I've worked out the nutritional values correctly.

Lentil & Walnut salad

6 oz continental* lentils
1 oz walnuts, chopped
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tblsp. walnut oil
Lots of black pepper
½ oz chopped parsley

Method:
Wash the lentils and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, then drain and allow to cool. (Using tinned lentils is quicker but I'm far too cheap for that! If you do use tinned ones, be sure to rinse well to get rid of that nasty salt water they pack them in. )
Dump the lentils, walnuts, and onion in a bowl. Combine the garlic, vinegar, and walnut oil and pour over the lentil mixture. Add as much black pepper as you like and stir thoroughly. I like to put in in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavour develop and then add the parsley before serving.

*They are the green ones that don't fall to bits when cooked.

Serves 4 (Unless you're as greedy as I am. )

Per serving:

Total kcals: 243

From carbohydrate: 111 (45.7%)
From fat: 77 (31.7%)
From protein: 55 (22.6%)

Dietary fibre: 14.5 g
Protein: 13.8 g
Sodium: 13.3 mg
Total fat: 8.6 g (of which 0.5 g is saturated)

[BarbaraAnn]

Santa Fe Broccoli Slaw (or coleslaw)
3/4 cup* = 1 pt

4 cups broccoli coleslaw mix* (or coleslaw mix)
1 can (11 ounces) Mexicorn, drained
1/2 cup salsa
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons sugar**
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
3 tablespoons cider vinegar


In a bowl, combine the coleslaw mix, corn and salsa. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sugar, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in vinegar. Pour over coleslaw mixture; toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (3/4 cup) equals 92 calories, 2 g fat (trace saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 621 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 4 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable.

**I use Splenda which lowers the above nutritional info.
____________________________

Penne, Spinach, Asparagus, and Cashew Salad
Serves 8; WW Points Per Serving: 2.5

1 1/2 pounds asparagus spears, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds penne pasta
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 Tbsp. white wine vinegar or
1/2 vinegar & 1/2 fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. lite soy sauce
1 6-ounce package fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup unsalted roasted cashews, coarsely chopped

Blanch the asparagus until just tender, about three minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Cool. Cook the pasta until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Toss with one tablespoon of oil. Cool. Blend the remaining oil, green onions, garlic, vinegar and soy sauce in a blender until smooth, about two minutes. Pour the dressing over the pasta. Add the asparagus, spinach and cashews; toss to coat.

Nutritional Information per Serving:
Calories 140
Total Fat 5 gm
Saturated Fat .7 gm
Fiber 4 gm
Sodium 110 mg
Cholesterol 0 mg
Diabetic Exchange 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat

Heart Healthy Food Sponsored By Loma Linda International Heart Institute

[Jillegal]

Thanks so much - there's some great recipes here that I'm really looking forward to trying! Spinach, broccoli, lentils, beans, nuts - all my favourites are here!

Sarah, is that recipe for one serving? I looks huge (not that I mind, I can eat salad 'til the cows come home, but I need to know for "point" purposes.) I worked it out on my Pointsfinder and even though it may, on the face of it, look rather high calorie and fat wise for a salad, it comes to 8 points (the fibre really helped) which is pretty much a normal "dinner" amount for me - so I'll be chowing down on some of that, for sure!

Seeing as I've got 3 young children around a lot of the time I'd like to see a couple more salads like Jo's that I can pass off as a dessert. Here's a fruit salad they love and I often take it to bbqs when its my turn to bring a sweet.

Coconut-Cream Salad
Ingredients:
1 can of pineapple tidbits (or equivalent amount of fresh)
1 can mandarin oranges
1 cup green and red seedless grapes
1 cup miniature marshmallows (there's the sugar...but they're fat-free)
1 cup coconut (I use the long stringy kind)
1 cup fat free sour cream
Preparation:
Drain pineapple and oranges on paper towels and squeeze out excess moisture
Mix all ingredients together. Chill for at least two hours before serving. Line salad bowl wih lettuce leaves and add fruit salad.
Per 2/3c serving: Calories 120, Fat 1g, Fibre 1g

[lessofsarahtolove]

Originally Posted by Jillegal

Sarah, is that recipe for one serving? I looks huge (not that I mind, I can eat salad 'til the cows come home, but I need to know for "point" purposes.) I worked it out on my Pointsfinder and even though it may, on the face of it, look rather high calorie and fat wise for a salad, it comes to 8 points (the fibre really helped) which is pretty much a normal "dinner" amount for me - so I'll be chowing down on some of that, for sure!

Yep, Jill, it is for one serving. It's a full meal. The high calorie part is sort of relative -- you're right, it's high for a "salad" -- as in a side salad -- but when you think of this as an entire meal, it makes more sense. It's big ol' plate of healthy veggies and chicken, and the olive oil and feta help you to feel satiated afterwards, so you're not jonesing for a dinner roll! I haven't read that book, Volumetrics, but this is sort of in keeping with that high volume, water-filled calorie sort of approach to eating. I ate a LOT of greens and vegetables when I was 100% on plan -- I was consuming at least 45g of fiber every day, and by eating gobs of low-calorie "filler" veggies like spinach and dividing my meals up into 5-6 per day, I just truly never felt "starving" and so was much more resistant to temptation. And my heart, bones, and energy level thanked me for it. (Not to mention my conscience!)

God, I can't wait to get off this steroid.

[kykaree]

Jillegal my mum used to make a full fat version of the fruit salad you posted. I am going to make that for old times sake!!! My mum never ever bought yummy things like marshmallows or made desserts very often, but boy when she did, it was such a special treat!!!!

Some great ideas here. I love the sound of Jo's but over here we don't get any of those sort of ingredients, so it will have to be but a fantasy of mine!!!! Until I come visiting stateside one day and one of you have to make it for me!!!!

[SuchAPrettyFace]

Everyone else wrote a little thing before their recipe except me.

I could live off this stuff, I LOVE it in restaurants (it comes in slices of mozz, tomato, mozz, tomato & then sprinkled w/the basil & drizzled w/the balsamic/oil)--I make it like this so that there is enough for everyone & it's a nice thing to bring to a potluck. No one is expecting it, and everyone likes cheese, so it goes over pretty well. I looooooove fresh mozzarella.

I've seen it @ the deli's here, but it's wayyyyyyyy expensive. Also, they add black olives, which is just wrong.



SPF's Caprese:

1 ball FRESH mozzarella cheese, diced
1 large tomato, diced
fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
cracked black pepper (& salt, if you must) to taste


Put balsamic vinegar in the bottom of a medium bowl, about 1/4 cup. Chop tomato first & put in bowl, so the vinegar can absorb a bit while you are cutting everything else. You can now put the salt, if you are using it, and crack the pepper grinder a few times over the bowl. YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD MORE, BUT YOU CAN NEVER TAKE IT OUT ONCE IT'S IN THE BOWL!!! So use a light hand. Do the basil next & the mozzarella last. For basil, pull the leaves off, roll them up & slice thin slices across. Toss into bowl. For mozz, hold as steady as you can, with a thin carving knife, cut into thin slices (mozz will not cooperate, you will get a thicker slice than you are trying for, that is ok. Fresh mozz is slippery & takes a few tries to get it down pat.), then cut each slice in half, then put the halves on top of each other & cut in half again, horizontally, then cut that into little dices. Sorry if this is too detailed, but I had a devil of a time my first time.

When mozz is chopped, toss into bowl. Try to find a part of the bowl where there is no cheese, just tomatoes & slip about a teaspoon of olive oil in there. Mix well w/a big spoon & eat chilled.

[taekwondomom]

Here are some yummy-yummy kid friendly salads. I found them in Better Homes and Gardens Kid Favorites Made Healthy.

Orange and Pineapple Salad
1 8-ounce can pineapple chunks (juice pack), drained
1/2 cup minature marshmallows
1/2 light dairy sour cream (I used plain non-fat yogurt)
1 11-ounce can mandarin orange sections, drained
1 tablespoon coconut, toasted

In a medium bowl stir together pineapple chunks, miniature marshmallows, and light dairy cream (or yogurt). Gently fold in mandarin orange sections.
Cover and chill salad for 2 to 24 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with the coconut.

Makes 4 side-dish servings.
Nutrition facts per serving (salad made with light dairy sour cream): 138 cal., 3 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 10 mg chol., 33 mg sodium, 26 g carbo., 1 g fiber, 3 g protein
Daily values: 18% vitamin A, 54% vitamin C, 8% calcium, 2% iron
Exchanges: 2 Fruit, 1/2 Fat

*************************************************

Johnny Appleseed Salad
2 cups chopped apple
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or mixed dried fruit bits
1/4 cup seedless green grapes, halved
2 tablespoons sliced celery
1/3 cup orange or vanilla low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons light mayo or salad dressing
1 tablespoons walnuts or pecans

In a medium bowl toss apples with lemon juice. Add raisins, grapes and celery. Toss to mix.
For dressing, in a small bowl stri together yogurt and mayo. Add dressing to apple mixture; toss hently to coat. Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 8 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with nuts.

Makes 4 side-dish servings.
Nutrition Facts per serving: 113 cal., 2 g total fat (0 g sat. fat), 3 mg chol., 86 mg sodium, 24 g carbo., 2 g fiber, 2 g pro.
Daily values: 2% vitamin A, 10% vitamin C, 5% calcium, 3% iron
Exchanges: 1 1/3 fruit, 1/2 fat

My mom made this salad when I was a kid, usually for special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas. She called it Waldorf Salad and it had whipped cream and Miracle Whip in it. This is much lighter than that recipe!
Last time I made this salad I added about 1 1/2 cup cooked chopped turkey breast and increased the dressing ingredients slightly. I served it on romain lettuce-MMM! I also use the leftovers to make a yummy turkey salad sandwich!

[taekwondomom]

While we are on the subject of salads: does anyone have a recipe for or know where to find a low fat Sweet Onion Vinagrette dressing like the one they have at Subway? I love that stuff! I have found a creamy sweet onion vinagrette dressing that is good, but it has so much fat in it!

[DishyFishy]

kykaree: Not that I'm trying to stop you from crossing the pond, but you might be interested to know that the pudding mix is very similar to Instant Whip. I don't think you can get pistachio flavour though.
And Cool Whip is just like Dream Topping but sold frozen in pots. Sainsbury used to do something similar. Hmm... I forget now what it was called. You could try to make up a variation on Jo's recipe as long as you don't blame me if you end up with something less scrummy!

[zoritsa]

I got this from an e-mail that I subscribe to,so this is a Dr.Weil recipe....or at least from his site.Not word for word because I can't remember the exacts,but its fairly accurate.

Cucumber Ratia:
2 large cucumbers,peeled,seeded and chopped
1 medium onion,chopped
2 cups lowfat plain yogurt
salt and pepper to taste

In bowl,combine cucumbers,onion,and salt.Allow to sit for a half hour.Drain excess liquids and wash cucumbers and onions and then allow to sit in cold water to remove any excess salt.Drain once more and combine in a bowl,cucumber/onion mixture with the yogurt and pepper.Refridgerate for 2 hours before serving.

Now...according to the recipe,this was one serving at 109 calories.I can't remember the fat content or any other info.,but I halved this recipe and even that was to much for me to eat in one serving