Recipes - more nutritious salads

Beetroot & Feta Salad

I was checking out the vege rack today and noticed that I still have some beetroot sitting there from last week.  Now, I'm not a person to extravagantly throw away veges just 'because', so I have made a choice to make a salad from the beetroot.  I always keep some feta in the fridge for moments such as these!

So, I was on the search for a recipe that will suit me and be relatively easy to make (I currently don't have any rocket or lettuce in the garden, so this limits most recipes for me).

I found this interesting looking one on BBC Good Food 

Here is the recipe:

1kg heirloom beetroot 

200g feta cheese

100g pumpkin seeds, roasted

Dressing: 

zest and juice of one lemon

2tbsp white balsamic or white wine vinegar

2tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil

Now, I'm usually great at changing the recipe to suit what I have in the cupboard.  So, for my salad today, I'm going to do the following:

Change the white balsamic to carmelized balsamic and white wine vinegar mixed. 

Reduce the rapeseed oil (and change it to olive oil), to 1tbsp

The amount of beetroot, feta cheese and pumpkin seeds will be reduced based on the weight of beetroot I have.

Boil the beetroot (skin on), for about 20 - 30 minutes until they are tender, drain and leave to cool.

Peel (now, if you're worried about pink/red fingers, use gloves. I'm not fussy, so am happy to peel without gloves. I find if I wash my hands quickly, it's not so bad, and the colour usually goes within a day).

Slice the beetroot

Mix the dressing ingredients together, usually I do this in a shaker. Season. Pour over the beetroot. 

Cut the fetta into small cubes, toast the pumpkin seeds (I normally heat these in a pan over the stove until they start to roast), then scatter these over the top of the beetroot and toss together.

For a kilogram of beetroot, this serves 8 people, with 204kcal per serve

Borrowed from BBC Good Food

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