Better Nutrition July 2020

ASK THE NUTRITIONIST
avocado, bacon bits, and crumbled
blue cheese—making them very rich.
Summerize your Cobb by cutting
back on some of the ingredients, or
eliminating them altogether. And
toss your homemade Cobb with a
vinaigrette—the avocado and cheese
already make the salad plenty rich
and creamy.
Caesar Salad—This salad is typically
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made with chopped romaine,
croutons, and grated Parmesan
cheese, and usually topped with
chicken to make a main-course
meal. To cut the calorie count: ditch
the croutons, use cheese sparingly,
and thin out the Caesar dressing.
Classic Salads
The following salads are a little off
the beaten path, but they’re easy to
make and provide unique flavors and
hard-to-get nutrients.
Spinach Salad—This salad uses
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spinach as its base instead of lettuce.
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The heavier version includes hardboiled
eggs and bacon, but you can
skip the bacon and add fresh berries,
nuts, and goat cheese for
a lighter, summery version.
Salad Niçoise—This traditional salad
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originated in the French city of Nice.
It’s usually made with hard-boiled
eggs, tuna or anchovies, Niçoise olives,
tomatoes, and sometimes cooked
green beans and potatoes, all dressed
with a vinaigrette. If you have leftover
cooked green beans or potatoes, salad
greens, and packaged tuna, this is an
easy salad to throw together.
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Arugula Salad—To add some excitement
to your salad repertoire, branch
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out from spinach, romaine, or mixed
spring greens, and try peppery,
spicy arugula. It forms a nice bed
of greens for savory-sweet combos
of ingredients, such as grilled steak
with peaches, or roasted salmon with
strawberries. Pull the salad together
42 • JULY 2020
by tossing everything with a balsamic
or lemon vinaigrette.
Ethnic Salads
If you have a favorite kind of cuisine,
or if you’re just looking to vary your
menu, try creating flavor combinations
that make you feel like you’ve traveled
around the world. Here are three ideas.
Asian Salad—Combine greens with
finely sliced Napa cabbage, sesame
seeds or roasted cashews, chicken
pieces, diced carrots, and a dressing
made with ginger, garlic, sesame oil,
and tamari sauce or coconut aminos.
Greek Salad—This tried-and-true
combination of romaine lettuce, red
onion, cucumber, tomato, Kalamata
olives, and feta cheese is dressed
with olive oil and lemon juice, or
with an olive oil-based vinaigrette.
For a main dish salad, top with
cooked shrimp or lamb pieces.
Mexican Salad—Give a south-of
the-border flavor to salad by topping
greens with salsa, shredded Monterey
Jack cheese, cooked pieces of beef or
chicken, pinto or black beans, chopped
avocado, cilantro, organic corn chip
pieces, and lime juice and olive oil.
Salads with Fresh Fruit
Seasonal fruits are one of the best benefits
of summer, so why not enjoy them in
your salads? Add small pieces of sweet,
succulent fruits to regular salads to
quickly turn them into mouth-watering
summertime treats!
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Summer Greens and Peach Salad—
Combine a variety of lettuces, or
simply use Bibb lettuce alone, and
top with chopped ripe nectarines
or peeled peaches, thinly sliced
carrots, roasted sunflower or
pumpkin seeds, goat cheese, and
chicken pieces or hard-boiled
egg slices. Toss with a balsamic
vinaigrette or a lemon vinaigrette.
Strawberry Spinach Salad—For
a light, refreshing summertime
meal, go very berry in your creations.
On top of spinach greens, place
sliced fresh strawberries and your
choice of chicken pieces, chopped
avocado, and feta or goat cheese.
Then dress with balsamic or lemon
vinaigrette. Change up the flavor
by using fresh raspberries instead
of strawberries and add chopped
mango if desired.
Arugula, Cherry, and Goat Cheese
Salad—For this seasonal treat, halve
and pit fresh cherries and add these
pieces of sweetness on top of baby
arugula with lightly toasted, chopped
pistachios or almonds, goat cheese,
and crumbled hard-boiled egg. Toss
with a balsamic vinaigrette.
Photo: adobestock.com