I’m a big believer in the less-is-more principle during the days I work late and come home hungry. If not prepared with a simple salad recipe, healthy in nature, I’d eat half a bag of pretzels, M&Ms, a little yogurt (fruit on the bottom, granola on the top) and maybe a banana or grapes after the guilt set in.
Luckily, I have a bunch of simple salad recipes that I can whip up in about 15 minutes and I usually have the ingredients for them on hand. As a bonus, they’re prefect for a summer evenings dinner on the patio or deck, low in calories and have the added value of being so delicious even youngsters love them.
Add fresh fruit, a crispy loaf of French bread and nice bottle of wine, or lemonade, and you’ve got recipes that turn a good dinner into a great one.
Udon noodle salad (pareve)
Ingredients:
4 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped
1 pound udon noodles, cooked, rinsed
and drained (you can substitute
rice noodles or angel hair pasta)
2 cups baby spinach
1/4 head red cabbage, thinly sliced
2 carrots, julienned
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
Place drained noodles in a serving bowl.
Add spinach, water chestnuts, cabbage, carrots and eggs. Gently mix to combine.
In a bowl combine sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar and mustard. Whisk to combine.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix to combine.
Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top and serve.
Serves 4.
Optional: Add 2 grilled chicken breasts, shredded.
This will make the salad a meat dish.
Warm eggplant and mozzarella salad (dairy)
Ingredients:
1 eggplant, 1 ½ to 2 pounds
oil, for frying
salt and pepper
3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 ounces mozzarella, shredded
Directions:
Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch dice.
In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil. Add half of the eggplant and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic and fry, stirring constantly for 5 to 7 minutes, until soft and slightly golden. Place the cooked eggplant on a paper towel to drain. Repeat with the remaining oil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic and eggplant. Drain the remaining eggplant and place all cooked eggplant in a serving bowl.
Add the bell peppers and green onions. Mix to combine.
In another bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and olive oil. Whisk to combine, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
Sprinkle the cheese on top, toss to combine and serve.
Serves 4.
Stacked Greek salad (dairy)
Ingredients:
12 bamboo or wood skewers
24 grape or small cherry tomatoes
3 ounces feta cheese
12 pitted Kalamata or black olives
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 small red or sweet onion,
cut into 12 1/2-inch pieces
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 head romaine lettuce, shredded,
or 3 cups baby spinach
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup chopped parsley or cilantro
1/3 cup salted sunflower seeds
Directions:
Thread the skewers starting with a tomato, then a piece of feta cheese, a piece of pineapple, an olive, a piece of onion and then another tomato. Repeat until 12 skewers are filled. Set skewers aside.
In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, vinegar and 2 teaspoons of the oregano. Whisk to combine.
Add olive oil and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange skewers on a serving platter with sides.
Drizzle the vinaigrette over skewers and sprinkle the remaining oregano over the top.
Serves 4 to 6.
Modified from a recipe by Giada De Laurentis
Whole wheat turkey pasta salad (meat)
Ingredients:
8 ounces whole-wheat rotini pasta, cooked al dente, rinsed and drained
8 ounces honey-roasted deli turkey breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup fresh corn kernels
6 green onions, sliced thin
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 head romaine lettuce, shredded, or 3 cups baby spinach
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup chopped parsley or cilantro
1/3 cup salted sunflower seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Place the drained pasta in a large salad bowl. Add the turkey, red pepper, tomato, corn, lettuce and onion.
In another bowl, combine the lime juice, sugar, olive oil and parsley. Whisk to combine. Season with cumin, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Drizzle half of the dressing over the salad, mix to coat.
Top with sunflower seeds and serve with the remaining dressing.
Serves 6.
