Salmon Cabbage Salad with Simple Rosemary Dressing

Sometimes you just need a light lunch and this does the trick. The best thing about salads is you can eat a TON of lettuce with very little setback. About 2 cups of lettuce (depending on the kind) is about 50 calories. The bad part about salads is the dressing. I like my salad dressed up. I know people who don’t need dressing on their salad but I like a little bit. Salad dressings are one of those things that can be loaded with unnatural, unhealthy ingredients. This salad dressing I made is simple, natural and light. The salad gets a lot of its flavor from the salmon. If you season your salmon properly, you won’t need a lot of extra flavors from the dressing. If you are not a fan of salmon, you could swap in shrimp or chicken but the salmon provides a lot of essential oils and nutrients. On a busy week, I will make salmon or chicken one night and make some extra. I’ll slice it up for my salads or lettuce wraps throughout the week; it makes for quick meal prep! This makes about 4 servings

2 salmon fillets (about 3 oz each)

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp lemon juice

4 cups salad greens, chopped (I like romaine, kale mix)

1 cup carrots, diced

2 cups red cabbage, chopped

Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp vinegar (I like coconut or white wine)

1 tsp rosemary, chopped

1 tsp lemon juice

Zest from one lemon

½ tsp black pepper

Season salmon fillets with turmeric, pepper, salt and lemon juice. Sauté your salmon fillets in a skillet for about 8 minutes per side or you can grill your salmon. Salmon is cooked through when it starts to flake with a fork. In a large serving bowl, combine salad greens, cabbage and carrots. Flake salmon fillets with a fork and sprinkle into salad mixture. Top with dressing and gently toss together. 

Pear Pomegranate Salad with Fruity Balsamic Vinaigrette

I’m sure your holiday meals are similar to ours; full of delicious, fattening, rich, buttery, heavy foods. I like making something light and refreshing so we don’t get completely off track this time of year. Plus when there are tons of pies, cakes, rolls, candies, etc most people don’t quickly grab veggies to put on their plate! Fill your plate half full of this salad and not only will you be less likely to overeat but you won’t have to feel as guilty about that pie you eat later! This is one of my go-to dishes to bring to any meal as it is so quick and easy and so healthy.

4 cups of fresh kale

4 cups of romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups of spinach
1 cup of raw brussell sprouts, chopped
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
1 pear, thinly sliced
1 cup pomegranate arils
½ cup toasted/candied pecans
Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette
½ pear, peeled and sliced
½ cup pomegranate arils
½ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp thyme

• In large serving bowls, combine salad ingredients and mix well.
• In a blender, combine vinaigrette ingredients and blend until smooth.
• Refrigerate at least an hour or until ready to serve.
• Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and serve.

Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing

Kale is an odd vegetable. I’m not completely sold on it yet. I do like it certain ways but this was the first time I tried to cold/raw. It has a very distinct flavor and texture but it is packed full of nutrients.  This salad is very crisp and refreshing. It is also very simple to make. The dressing really accentuates the bold flavor of the kale. This would be a good, healthy addition to your holiday meal – swap it for something not so healthy (maybe the cheese ball??)

8 oz of fresh kale (organic is best)

½ cup shredded carrots
½ cup shredded cabbage (we used red)
Dressing
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (you really need this to get the full flavor)
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar or honey
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (heat in a skillet for about 5 minutes to toast seeds)

• In a large serving bowl, combine kale, carrots and cabbage.
• In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients.
• Drizzle dressing over salad and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Fresh summer fruit is great but unfortunately it is coming to an end! Now that we have cut out a lot of heavy carbs, gluten and started eating more clean, we fill up on fresh fruit and veggies. Typically we eat them plain but occasionally I like to give fruit a little extra something. This honey lime dressing was so easy to throw together and complimented the fruit wonderfully. It goes really well with the papaya and pineapple. Feel free to enjoy as much of this salad as you want – you shouldn’t have too much guilt about it!

Fruit Salad

1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
1 red plum, sliced
1 cup fresh papaya, diced
1 cup fresh grapes, halved
Honey Lime Dressing
½ cup water
¼ cup honey
1 Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
1 lime, zest and juice

• Mix together fruit in a serving bowl.
•  In a small bowl or carafe bottle, mix together lime juice, lime zest, water, honey and mint. Stir until well blended.
• Drizzle a little dressing over fruit salad and serve.
• Best if served over fresh fruit immediately, but the dressing will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.

Cucumer Radish Salad

If you haven’t noticed by my posts so far – we have an abundance of cucumbers. My plant finally put on but it was late. It’s been a solid summer for cucumbers. Anyway – this side is a crisp, cool, refreshing salad that’s very easy to throw together and looks good enough to take to a BBQ.

1 large cucumber

4 small radishes
1 small bell pepper
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup white wine vinegar
½ tsp ground peppercorns
¼ tsp finely minced garlic
¼ tsp salt

• Using a mandolin, thinly slice cucumber, radishes and bell pepper.
• In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, peppercorns, garlic and salt.
• Combine vegetables in a bowl and drizzle dressing over salad.
• Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

Cool Asian Salad

Happy Labor Day!

This is the easiest salad I’ve ever made-aside from just putting lettuce on a plate. This is a favorite of ours during the summer when we just need a quick, cool bite to eat. The dressing on here is amazing also. Feel free to add in more vegetables but this is a recipe we just like to keep it simple. This is a perfect, quick & easy dish to throw together for a holiday gathering and perfect on a hot day! You can make the dressing the day before to help the flavors come together and make quick work the day of serving!

1 bunch of romaine lettuce, chopped

2 celery stalks, diced
shredded cheese, if desired
Dressing
2 tsp rice vinegar
¼ cup water
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp sesame seeds, toasted
½ tsp garlic salt

• Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small blender (like a Magic Bullet). Blend until smooth.
• Mix together lettuce and celery. Top with cheese if desired. Then pour dressing over salad and serve. It’s that easy.

Meditteranean Salad

This little salad is a real treat. I love the mixture of the olives, peppers and cheese. They provide a nice salty mixture to the fresh salad blend. I basically took things I like to add to a deli sandwich and turned it to a light and refreshing salad. It is perfect for lunch by itself. This is just for one serving, but you can easily double or triple for more people. Enjoy!

1 cup mixed salad greens (I used spinach, romaine, red leaf, and arugula)

2 small pepperoncini peppers, from a jar, sliced into rings
3 kalamata olives, chopped
½ large tomato, chopped
1-2 oz of shredded chicken, cooked
1 Tbsp feta or blue cheese
1 tsp Greek dressing

• Put salad greens in a large cereal bowl. Add in peppers, olives, tomato and chicken. Top with cheese and drizzle over salad dressing. Serve immediately for best results.

Smoky Chickpea Salad

Sometimes a quick, light salad will do just the trick for dinner on a warm summer night. I eat salad on a daily basis – for lunch, dinner, snack or all three. I do get a little bored with them though so I try to find new ways to freshen them up. I am fine with having a salad for dinner with a small piece of bread or something. However, my hungry son and husband can’t live off of lettuce. The chickpeas in the salad add a little protein and also add a little something extra to plain ol’ lettuce. The boys of course prefer Ranch dressing, but I like a simple vinegar/olive oil vinaigrette.

1 can chickpeas rinsed

1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp liquid smoke
½ tsp garlic salt
1 tsp honey
¼ cup roasted red pepper, chopped
¼ cup leeks, chopped
1 bunch of romaine lettuce, chopped
2 slices smoked provolone cheese, chopped

• In a large skillet, combine chickpeas, paprika, smoke, garlic salt and honey and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine lettuce, leeks, peppers and cheese in a large serving bowl.
• After the chickpeas have cooled for a bit, pour them over salad. Best if served immediately.

Zesty Corn Salad

Corn on the cob is one of my son’s favorite. We had some leftover grilled corn and I decided to use it to make this salad. What’s great about this is you can use a little bit of whatever you have on hand. Don’t have cucumber, throw in some zucchini. How about some red onion or bell peppers?? Go ahead – give it a try!

1 ear of grilled corn on the cob

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
½ cup cucumbers, diced
¼ cup onion, diced
½ tsp parsley
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

• Remove  kernels from ear of corn into a medium serving bowl.
• Add in tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and onion.
• Mix together parsley, thyme, salt and vinegar into a small bowl.
• Pour vinegar dressing over salad. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Cucumber-Onion Salad

This salad is so quick and easy, but also one of my favorites. My mother’s neighbor is getting quite old and his wife just passed away. I have known them since I was a little girl and they have always had a HUGE garden – for just the two of them. Every year they had so much more food than they could possibly eat so they would walk down the road, giving all of the neighbors the fruits of their hard work. This year was no different; he came walking to my mother’s house with bags full of beets and cucumbers. He gave us even more than we could eat so I had to do something with all of them. The acid in this recipe helps the tender cucumbers keep a little longer so they do not go to waste.

1 large cucumber, peeled, cut into thin slices

½ large onion, cut into thin slices
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup tarragon vinegar
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp parsley
1 Tbsp honey or sugar for sweetness
1/2 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
½ cup water

• Mix together the vinegars, spices, honey and water until combined.
• Add in the cucumber and onion slices. Your liquid should cover the vegetables – if it doesn’t just add some more water.
• Refrigerate for 2 hours and serve.