The Basics of a Great Salad

Salads seem to always be a staple for weight loss. In fact, many people think that to lose weight you have to exist on bland salads and grilled chicken breasts for months.  While it is true that a green salad and chicken breast for lunch and dinner each day is a "Diet" strategy, the reason is because by eating a green salad and watching your portion of dressing you are reducing calories.  However, the same salad day in and day out can be boring.  A great way to eat salads and enjoy them is to experiment with new ingredients and new salad dressings.  Changing the flavors, textures and ingredients helps rid yourself of boredom from the same thing every day, which is the key to sustaining.  

Here are some salad ideas for mixing it up:

• Use a mixture of green leaf or romaine with a little arugula, spinach or radicchio.
• Use red and green cabbage as your base -  it is crunchy, colorful and filling.
• Add ingredients like dried cranberries, chopped apples, garbanzo beans or black beans, chopped walnuts, feta cheese, olives, artichoke hearts, sunflower seeds or diced cooked yams.
• Use dressings and toppings with healthy fats and flavor - salsa, avocado, homemade dressing and spices.

Here are a few of my favorite salad dressings:

Tahini Goddess Dressing (from Genesis Kitchen)

1/2 cup Water

3 garlic cloves

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

4 Tbl apple cider vinegar

2 Tbl Parsley

1/2 cup sesame tahini

1 Tbl Soy Sauce (or Tamari for wheat free)

Add all the ingredients, except for the oil to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth and creamy. Slowly add oil until well mixed. Dressing will be thick.  Add more water to get desired consistency.  


French Dressing (from Wellness Mama)
   
    1 squirt of mustard
    1 Tablespoon tomato paste (organic)
    1/3 cup olive oil
    1/4 cup white wine vinegar
    1 Tablespoon of honey (optional)
    1/2 tsp onion powder or small chunk of fresh onion


Put all ingredients in a small blender and blend until smooth.