One of the best things of summer is the food. So many of my favorite veggies are in season, so they are less expensive and tastier. This makes summer a great time to eat and make salads. Plus you don't have to turn on the stove.
To reap the most nutritional benefits from your salad you should add some color. Why limit yourself to just greens. Antioxidants often give color to food, so if you add a colorful array of veggies and fruits you will be covering your bases.
Here's a list of colorful vegetables to mix and match on top of your favorite greens:
- fresh corn
- chopped fresh herbs, like basil and dill
- red, orange, and/or yellow peppers
- tomatoes of any color (orange cherry tomatoes taste like candy!!!)
- shredded carrots
- red leaf lettuce
- radishes
- steamed green beans
- radicchio
- avocado
- mango
- berries (check out this recipe for Spinach and Strawberry Salad)
- red cabbage chopped
- green onions
Now, I would never put all those things in one salad, since I have a salad quirk where I usually limit my salad toppings to just 3 items. But in the summer, with so many veggies at the height of their season, I work through my quirk and sometimes can barely see the lettuce for all the wonderful ingredients I have added in.
I'd love to hear about your favorite summer salad combination. So tell me about it in the comments section below.
Juan Antonio Lopez
Miss Cerise
Radley
And don't forget fresh fruit salad!!! My favorite combo is: Peaches/strawberries/pineapple/crisp apple sweet texture goodness!
1I love me some salad!
2salad is my favourite food. apparently that's weird for a 15 yr old to say. :|
3Spinach for a base, shredded carrots, broccoli florets, sliced cucumber, topped with half of a sliced pear, and a handful of Ezekiel 4:9 cereal for crunch.
4Mixed baby greens base, a layer of red onion slices, a layer of yellow pepper, then orange, then baby peas, then slice mushrooms, then thinly sliced radishes, maybe some strips of deli ham or chicken, kraft cheese crumbles, and some fat free dressing.
Or spinach, water chestnuts, red pepper, peanuts, cucumber, sprouts, chow mein noodles, and ginger soy dressing.
5Oh, and Kashi Go Lean cereal makes my absolute favorite crouton substitute. So tasty!
6My favorite is mixed greens with walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, sliced green apples, chopped red peppers, shredded carrots, chopped Roma tomatoes and chicken, topped with balsamic vinaigrette. YUM!
7Romaine lettuce:
Add hearts of palm, carrots, tuna or egg whites, red beans, asparagus, chopped tomatoes with Sesame Ginger or Asian ginger dressing. YUM!!!
8Cucumber, red and green peppers, goat cheese, tomatoes, chick peas.
9romaine/field greens mix, grape tomatoes, red onion, grilled chicken, wonton noodles, and asian sesame ginger dressing (paul newmans lite!)!!
10Lots of tomato, kidney beans, peas, black olives or beets if I feel like it, and a handful of grated cheese.
11My boyfriend and I started eating salads for dinner a couple-few times a week because we want to be healthier and I feel so much lighter the next day, not bogged down like when we BBQ steak n' such. For salads: baby greens, tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, dried cranberries, about 5 croutons, & a little parmesian cheese, with a light/nonfat balsamic dressing. Voila! It's heartier than you think.
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