Mediterranean Salad

It’s a new year, and we’re all looking for a fresh (and refreshing) start! Nothing is quite as refreshing as a crispy crunchy cold wedge salad with a healthy twist. Blue cheese dressing is tasty, but it’s typically made with heavy cream and mayonnaise, making it high in saturated fat and not the most physically nourishing choice. This recipe has a Mediterranean alternative, made with heart-healthy olive oil and tahini.

The Mediterranean diet is known for its many health benefits, such as its anti-inflammatory qualities and positive effects regarding heart health and even cognitive well-being. If you’re looking for some easy nutrition guidelines to start 2024, Mediterranean is a good place to go.

Read More

Crunchy Parmesan Kale Salad

It’s easy to get stuck in the same old salad routine. It’s time to add some pizzaz to your greens with this crunchy, cheesy kale salad recipe. Kale can be difficult for some people to introduce into their diet. It’s high fiber, which is great for your health, but it’s difficult to chew; it also has a strong, bitter taste. This recipe calls for a technique called massaging. It’s exactly how it sounds. With clean hands, squeeze and squish the kale with your dressing. This does two things. One is that manually squeezing physically helps to break the fiber in the leaves, making the kale more tender. The acidity of the dressing will also help with this. The crushing also impacts the flavor, making the kale less bitter while maintaining its nutrition. You can use this technique on all sorts of bitter greens in your salad. Try this technique with arugula, mustard greens, chard or collards.

Read More

Lemony White Bean Salad

Arugula is a wonderful and flavorful addition to many dishes. It can be used as a topping from everything, from sandwiches to pizza! Or you can enjoy it on its own as a salad like in this recipe. Its lovely black peppery flavor comes from a chemical compound called glucosinolates. Research has found that these compounds, commonly found in plants from the Brassicaceae family (arugula, cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts) may have protective qualities for our heart and brain health.  

Read More

Edamame Salad with Citrus Sesame Dressing

Maybe you’ve heard about the health benefits of soy. It’s a protein-packed nutrition bomb, loaded with flavonoids that may help reduce the incidence of cancers and rich in fiber and other vitamin and minerals. But tofu just sounds really unappealing. Try some edamame! This is the whole soybean, which comes in pods similar to peas, with a firm texture that makes a great addition to salads, pastas, casseroles or even just on its own.

Read More

Sweet Potato Kale Salad

Sometimes salads can be boring, but this recipe will change your mind! Roasted sweet potatoes, cranberries and pistachios provide great flavor and texture. This is a great recipe for lunches for the week and you can add some lean protein to go with it if you choose.

Read More

Flat Belly Salad

This salad meets all the criteria for a well-balanced meal since it has protein and a high fiber carb from the chickpeas along with healthy fats from avocado.  The apple cider vinegar dressing is easy to make and will become a staple for sure. 

Read More

Kale & Avocado Salad

This plant-based salad is loaded with fiber, heart-healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants! Adding blueberries to this salad gives a hint of sweetness and a very important antioxidant called anthocyanin that gives fruits and vegetables their deep red-orange and blue-violet colors. Research has shown anthocyanins may reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, help prevent cancer and improve cognitive function. This salad also contains edamame, a soybean high in fiber and protein.

Read More