AFGHAN SALAD

"Also known as Salata. This refreshing and colourful tomato, carrot and onion salad is light and crunchy.

SERVE 4

PREP 15 minutes

Ingredients

2-3 large tomatoes, finely chopped (260g)

50g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

20g fresh mint, roughly chopped

1 lemon, juice and finely grated zest

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

good pinch pepper

1 large red onion, finely diced (180g)

half cucumber, finely diced (160g)

2 large carrots, grated (250g)

Method

Add the tomatoes to a bowl with the coriander, mint, lemon juice, olive oil and pepper and mix well.

Add the red onion, cucumber and carrot. Mix well and serve.

Chef's tips

Try with different herbs such as parsley, basil or dill.Serve with grilled meat, fish or poultry.Great as part of a buffet or for a packed lunch".

Fonte e imagem: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Recipes/Afghan-salad/

Chickpea Avocado Salad

Keepin' it Kind

"Makes 5 Cups

Ready In: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups cooked chickpeas, or 2 (15-ounce) cans, drained and rinsed

1 small red onion, peeled and diced small

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Zest of 1 lime and juice of 4 limes

1 jalapeño pepper, minced (for less heat, remove the seeds)

1⁄2 cup chopped cilantro

Sea salt to taste

1 avocado, coarsely chopped

Serve this flavorful salad on a bed of greens for a complete meal. I like arugula with this dish, but feel free to use your favorite.

From Forks Over Knives - The Cookbook

Instructions: 1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Add the avocado just before serving."

Fonte e imagem: http://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/chickpea-avocado-salad-2/

Gorgeous Greek salad

Fotografia: David Loftus

"Nutritional Information - Amount per serving:

• Calories 220kcal
• Carbs 9.8g
• Sugar 8.2g
• Fat 14.5g
• Saturates 7.5g
• Protein 10.1g

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• 4 tomatoes, on the vine
• 1 green pepper
• 6 black olives (stone in)
• 1 red onion, peeled
• extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• red wine vinegar
• 1 lemon
• 200 g feta cheese
• 1 few sprigs of flowering oregano
• 1 small bunch of fresh mint

Method

Scratch a fork down the sides of the cucumber so it leaves deep grooves in the skin, then chop into erratic slices at an angle. Roughly chop the tomatoes, deseed and slice the pepper lengthways and add to a salad bowl with the chopped veg.

Destone the olives and tear into the bowl. Halve and finely slice the red onion (you can also try shaving it with a speed peeler), then add to the bowl along with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a good pinch of black pepper and a splash of red wine vinegar.

Toss everything together, then add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Break the feta in half and place on top, add a scattering of flowering oregano, drizzle over a little more extra virgin olive oil and pick over the mint leaves".

Fonte e imagem: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/gorgeous-greek-salad

Power Up Your Summer Salads

By Mehmet C. Oz, MD, and Michael F. Roizen, MD

"Last time you had a salad for your main meal, did you leave the table hungrier than a wolf in a cabbage patch? Sure, a big bowl of greens is good for you, but you'll be raiding the refrigerator an hour later if it doesn't have more going for it than that. Yet if it does, a salad can be seriously satisfying, even for you carnivores out there.

Sure, salads keep you looking good in your Speedo or tankini and give your brain and body a big-time nutrition bump: You're significantly more likely to get your fill of vitamins if you're a salad hound, according to a joint UCLA/Louisiana State University study (we don't have a clue how those two got together). What's more, feasting on veggies (plus some lean protein) helps you fend off cancer, osteoporosis, stroke, and ordinary aging.

Before you start loading up the crisper, keep in mind that the best salads are real meals: lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. The worst? They're usually restaurant salads masquerading as health food but actually oozing fat and calories. Take a Chili's Southwestern Cobb Salad: Without dressing, it has 650 calories and 32 grams of fat. With dressing? A Speedo-busting, heart-stopping 970 calories and 60 grams of fat.

For the best salads -- the kind that make your taste buds zing, your belly smile, and your cells young -- toss these ingredients into your bowl:

• Big and little greens: We probably don't have to tell you that richly colored greens (baby spinach, arugula, romaine, watercress, radicchio) are the foundation of a great salad. They're packed with nutrients that inhibit cancer and help bones stay strong. But don't stop there. For a clean, bright flavor -- and a serious phytochemical boost -- add some fresh herbs. Go for mini powerhouses like mint (filled with cancer-busting monoterpenes), basil (packed with inflammation-fighting volatile oils), or cilantro (it goes after bad cholesterol).
Learn how fruits and veggies help prevent osteoporosis.

• Powerful proteins: Protein keeps your stomach busy for a long time. It responds by telling your brain that you're full. Smart diet move. Instead of sodium-socked deli meats or full-fat cheese, aim for lean fixins like 3 ounces (about the size of a tin of Altoids) of canned salmon, skinless chicken or turkey breast, chopped egg whites, low-fat cheese, or cubed tofu. A quarter cup of walnuts or a half cup of lentils, chickpeas, or beans will also kick up your protein count.
• Major flavor boosters: We've got no beef with the old salad standbys, like carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers. But to really punch up the flavor, toss in asparagus, corn, black beans, zucchini, portobello mushrooms, red and purple peppers, or baked sweet potatoes. Even better, lightly roast the veggies in a little olive oil first. The deep smoky flavor is to drool for.
• Complex carbs that aren't oil-soaked croutons: Anytime you're cooking up some brown rice, barley, or whole-wheat couscous or pasta, make extra and save it for your salads. Ditto for quinoa (it's like fluffy rice but high in both protein and fiber) or chia (a grain that's a good source of healthy omega-3s). Crave crunchy croutons? Toast and cube some rye bread.
• Dressings that aren't fat phobic: Your salad needs some heart-friendly omega-3 (or omega-9) fats to help your body soak up fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, and K, and it needs disease-fighting carotenoids such as lycopene and beta carotene. Enter real dressings. It's hard to beat balsamic vinegar and a little olive or walnut oil. Swirl in some mustard, ginger, or herbs; if the seasonings are likely to overwhelm the olive or walnut oil, switch to canola oil -- it's less expensive. If you prefer store-bought, check labels to avoid inflammation-encouragers (most other oils, added sugars). Your goal: a dressing that's thin and slippery enough to coat your salad easily. Drizzle on about half as much as you think you need (roughly 2 tablespoons for a meal-sized salad; add extra balsamic if needed). Then, toss like crazy to coat every last lettuce bit. Dig in.

More ways to superpower your salad"

Fonte: http://www.realage.com/food/power-up-your-summer-salads?eid=1010665471&memberid=24539180 

Fotografia e receita de Salada de Couscous: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/11690/10minute-couscous-salad

Asian Tuna Salad

Sang An

Serves 2| Hands-On Time: 10m | Total Time: 10m

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 head Bibb lettuce, torn
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 English cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 6-ounce can water-packed tuna, drained
• 4 ounces snow peas, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, canola oil, and sesame oil. Add the lettuce, bell pepper, cucumber, tuna, and snow peas and toss to combine.

By Sara Quessenberry,  April 2011

Fonte e imagem:
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/asian-tuna-salad-00000000054284/

Roasted Carrot, Spinach and Feta Salad

"Packed with the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene, carrots make a great snack. 

Try this roasted carrot, spinach and feta for a delicious, yet healthy lunch. And the best bit? It counts as two of your 5-a-day, contains over a third of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin C, and comes in at just 280 calories. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
450g/1lb carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 red onion, cut into wedges
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into wedges
60ml/4tbsp olive oil
2 whole cloves garlic
45ml/3tbsp pumpkin seeds
5ml/1tsp cumin seeds
juice half a lemon
1 tsp runny honey
1 (100g) bag baby spinach leaves
100g/4oz feta cheese crumbled
30ml/2tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/Fan 200C/Gas Mark 7. Place the carrots, onion, pepper and half the oil in a large roasting tin. Season well. Toss together until everything is coated in oil. Roast for 15 mins. Stir in the seeds and garlic and roast for a further 10 mins until the carrots are just tender but still have a bit of bite.
2. Remove the vegetables from the oven and remove the garlic cloves. On a chopping board, slip the garlic from the papery skin and using the blade of a knife work it to a smooth paste. Put the garlic paste in a small bowl with the remaining oil, lemon juice and honey and whisk together with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Empty the spinach leaves into a large serving bowl, then add the roasted vegetables, feta cheese, chopped mint and pour over the dressing. Toss lightly together until mixed."

Fonte e imagem:
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/lifestyle/recipes/453410/roasted-carrot-spinach-and-feta-salad.html

Summer Salad

"A trip to my local farmers' market supplied me with this lovely goats'-cheese log coated in crushed chillies, but plain goats' cheese works fine. For the beetroot, look for jars of baby beetroot pickled in sweet vinegar.

Ingredients (Serves 6)
• Half a bunch of young asparagus spears, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3tbsp olive oil
• 140g chopped pancetta
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 pickled baby beetroot, sliced
• 1 frisée lettuce
• About 200g goats' cheese, sliced or crumbled

Directions
1) Pod the beans and drop into a pan of boiling salted water.
2) Cook for one minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3) Cook the asparagus in the same water until just tender. Drain.
4) Next, fry the pancetta in half of the oil until brown, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
5) Add the garlic to the pan and fry until softened.
6) Return the pancetta to the pan with the beetroot and warm through.
7) To serve, divide the pancetta mixture between six plates and top with frisée, beans, asparagus and cheese.
8) Mix a few tablespoons of vinegar from the jar of beetroot to the pan with the remaining oil.
9) Season, then pour over the salads."

Words by Janet Smith. Photograph by James Murphy

Fonte e imagem:
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/lifestyle/recipes/163593/summer-salad.html