Tag Archives: salad

Black Bean and Feta Salad

Serve this one on top of a bed of your favorite greens for a super lunch salad.

Black Bean and Feta Salad
Black Bean and Feta Salad

6 servings
230 calories per serving

2 15 oz. cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 T fresh basil, chopped
4 oz. low fat crumbled feta with garlic and herbs
2 T oil
1 T lemon juice
¼ t black pepper

Mix all together and cover and chill for several hours.

Strawberry Feta Salad

Looking for a special salad ? This one has the extra special something that makes it great for entertaining and holiday meals. But it’s so easy to put together you that you’ll find yourself making it all the time !

Strawberry Feta Salad
Strawberry Feta Salad

4 servings
140 calories per serving

5 oz. baby arugula
1 c sliced strawberries
1/2 c low fat crumbled feta cheese
3 T walnuts, chopped and toasted
1/4 c balsamic vinaigrette
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the arugula on 4 separate plates – add all the other ingredients and serve immediately.

White Bean and Tomato Salad

The addition of beans makes this salad filling and add extra fiber to your meal. This is a great summer side that hits the spot.

White Bean and Tomato Salad
White Bean and Tomato Salad

4 servings
167 calories per serving

1 T white vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1 t Dijon mustard
1 drop Tabasco sauce
2 t oil
16 oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 T chopped basil
1 T chopped parsley
1 scallion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ large red bell pepper, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and Tabasco and whisk while adding the oil. Combine beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, basil, parsley, scallions and garlic. Add the dressing and toss well to coat the cover and refrigerate ½ hour. Just before serving add salt and pepper to taste.

Green Goddess Dressing

Green Goddess dressing was invented in the 20’s at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco and was quite popular for many years. You don’t see it too often anymore, but it’s a great change from the typical ranch dressing and is a snap to make. This one is lightened up using low fat mayo and rich, thick Greek yogurt and I find it perfect on a crispy lettuce such as iceberg.

Green Goddess Dressing
Green Goddess Dressing

2 ½ T = 1 serving
36 calories per serving
Makes 1 ½ cups

1 c plain fat free Greek yogurt
½ c low fat mayonnaise
2 t Worcestershire sauce
2 t lemon juice
½ t Tabasco
3 canned anchovy fillets
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 c parsley
¼ c tarragon
¼ c chives
¼ c chervil

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend well.

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a Lebonese salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, mint and bulgur wheat. It is so healthy, so delicious and so very pretty to look at – serve some up as an appetizer at your next get together.

Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh

8 servings
214 calories per serving

1 c bulgur wheat
2 c boiling water
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped into small bits
2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped into small bits
3 scallions, chopped
1 c chopped fresh parsley
1/3 c mint leaves chopped
2 t salt
1/2 c lemon juice
¼ c olive oil

Place wheat in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak 45 minutes to an hour and then drain it and squeeze out any extra water. Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Serve with pita bread, pita chips or as a side salad.

Avocado and Spinach Salad

Kraft has so many great dressing out there – as well as using them on their own, they make GREAT to use as ingredients in other dressings, sauces, marinades, etc. This salad is a Kraft recipe and it was so good !

Avocado and Spinach Salad
Avocado and Spinach Salad


2 servings
250 calories per serving

1/2 c sliced avocados
3 T mandarin orange juice
2 t lemon juice
3 c baby spinach leaves
11 oz. can mandarin oranges (reserve 3 T juice / rinse the oranges in cold water)
1/4 c Kraft Catalina dressing (sweet French dressing)
2 T pecans (or other nuts), toasted
To toast nuts, heat a skillet on medium high then add nuts. Cook, stirring frequently, until the heat brings out the flavors, about 2-3 minutes (when you smell the great aroma, they are just about done).

Mix dressing,. Lemon juice and orange juice. Pour over spinach, oranges and avocados. Garnish with nuts.

Curried Cucs and Avocado

My friend grows the tastiest cucs ! And they are just perfect in this salad. Just a bit of curry, just a bit of Tabasco, lotsa lime and great veggies. This is one you’ll make again and again.

Curried Cucs and Avocado
Curried Cucs and Avocado

3 servings
106 calories per serving

1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
1 t salt
½ red bell pepper, diced
Zest of one lime
Juice of one lime
2 T chopped cilantro or parsley
1 ½ t sugar
½ t curry powder
A Couple of dashes of Tabasco
1 avocado, diced

Take the cucumber pieces and sprinkle with salt and set in a colander to drain. This helps some to remove some of the bitterness that some cucumbers have. Mix pepper, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, sugar and Tabasco. Pat the cucumbers dry and add to the pepper mix. Finally add the avocado and serve immediately.

Spring Salad

Delightful ! It’s always great to find a salad that tastes different. Sometimes greens just start tasting all the same and salads get boring. But when you add nuts, grapes and goat cheese, you get a whole other flavor profile plus some great new textures and the salad takes on a whole new life. Try this one 🙂

Spring Salad
Spring Salad

4 servings
235 calories per serving

¼ c dry roasted pistachios (or other mixed nuts), chopped finely
½ c goat cheese
¼ c low fat balsamic vinaigrette
5 oz. spring salad mix (or any greens – I added some arugula this time for a great punch of flavor)
1 c seedless red grapes, halved lengthwise
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper

Put nuts in a dish and divide cheese into portions and roll them into balls then roll the balls in the nuts to coat them. Combine dressing and lettuce and mix well then divide between 4 plates. Top with grapes and cheese balls and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Tomato and Avocado Salad

The wonderful texture of flavor of avocado shines through in this simple recipe. As well as tasting delicious, avocados are full of healthful MUFAs. This time I used all sliced Campari tomatoes for this salad – they are so sweet !

Tomato and Avocado Salad
Tomato and Avocado Salad

4 servings
161 calories per serving

2 lbs. assorted tomatoes, sliced (green tomatoes, grape tomatoes, heirlooms, etc. – whatever you have)
1 avocado, sliced
1 T Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 T chopped cilantro or parsley.

Mix all except avocados in a bowl – then add avocado and gently mix so that avocados do not break up. Serve immediately.

Chicken and Pasta Salad

I love orzo and it is great in cold pasta salads. The goat cheese really melts in from all the lemon and it gives the whole dish a great flavor. Very satisfying !!

Chicken and Pasta Salad
Chicken and Pasta Salad

4 servings
275 calories per serving

¾ c orzo
¼ t grated lemon zest
3 T lemon juice
1 T oil
½ t Kosher salt
1 t minced garlic clove
¼ t pepper
1 c shredded grilled boneless skinless chicken breast (Perdue Shortcuts work great here !)
½ c cubed English cucumber
½ c chopped red bell pepper
½ c sliced scallions
½ c crumbled goat cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process and cool it down. Mix lemon zest, juice, oil, salt, garlic and pepper and mix with the orzo. Add chicken, cucumber, peppers, and onions. Garnish with goat cheese and serve.

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