Recipes - Nutritious Salads

Whole Grain Salad

I'm always on the lookout for recipes that fit in with my lifestyle and healthy eating plans.  Also, those that can utilise the produce from my garden (as it comes to it's richness).  As such, when I find something I want to try out, I look at it from my balanced eating point of view, the calories (there are some things I just don't want to change) and the tastiness.

This recipe I found at ShareCare and I thought I would pass it on for you all.

In my view, it has veges (fibre and colour) and nuts/seeds (protein/fibre), cheese (protein/fats), grains (carbohydrates) and olive oil (fats).

I would do a few things differently, because I like to play with a recipe.  For example, I would remove the radish (blah, don't like them), but add a sweet chilli, one of those lovely big ones you see in the markets.  I would use mozzarella, but not the low-fat one, seriously, the amount of fat in mozzarella, you don't need low fat!  I would also swap out the extra virgin olive oil for an infused oil, I have one with rosemary and garlic in it - yum!  Finally, me being me, I would add a drizzle of my carmelized balsamic vinegar - it's divine.

Now that I've made those changes, I think I may very well put it together for next week's lunches! At approximately 275 calories a serve, it certainly fits in with my lifestyle

Ingredients
1/2 bell pepper (yellow or orange), seeded and chopped
1/2 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped radish
1/4 cup chopped green onion or red Bermuda onion
1/4 cup finely chopped dried fruits (apricots, raisins, figs, etc.)
2 tbsp nuts or seeds (sesame, sunflower or chopped almonds, walnuts, etc.)
4 oz low-fat mozzarella cheese, diced
3 cups cooked brown rice, whole grain pasta, couscous or bulgur
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbps finely chopped fresh chives (or 2 tsp dried)
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint or cilantro (or 2 tsp dried)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation (Serves 5)
In a large bowl, combine bell pepper, tomato, radish, green or red onion, dried fruit, seeds or nuts and cheese. Mix lightly with a fork. Fluff the cooked grains with a fork and combine with the salad mixture.

In a small container with a tight fitting lid, combine the remaining ingredients. Seal tightly and shake until combined. Add to salad mixture and toss to coat.

Borrowed from ShareCare