Salads Take Center Stage
The reason I remember the first time I was served a main-course salad, easily 15 years ago, is that it was such a revelation.
It was served to a group of us, six or more, in a large shallow wooden bowl and it was full of all kinds of good things; greens, chickpeas, nuts, seeds, sliced chicken breast and a dressing fragrant with fresh tarragon and basil. I remember my hostess saying how uncomplicated a meal it was to prepare, serve and clean up after.
Main-course salads are a terrific opportunity to combine a variety of ingredients creatively and colorfully. The late, celebrated U.S. cookbook author, James Beard said meat salads originated in North America as a way to use leftovers; maybe he was right.
Certainly, it's a chance to be imaginative in the kitchen. When it comes to main-course salads, there is no wrong way. Add grains if you like, or stick to vegetables and meat. Or don't use meat. Or don't use vegetables. One of the best things about main-course salads is how few rules there are, although one is that you really should make your own vinaigrette.
I once put my imagination together and marinated and grilled chicken breasts on a grill pan, but you could barbecue them instead -- and how they can be paired either with buckwheat noodles or with crunchy coleslaw. The chicken can easily be replaced with salmon or tofu.
In Heartsmart Cooking for Family and Friends, Bonnie Stern does a take on a classic nicoise - made with roasted salmon and grilled vegetables, and served with wheat berries. Or rice. Or barley. It's served on one large platter or in individual portions.
In "A Good Day for Salad", there's a recipe for a main-course salad made with strips of cooked lamb, white beans, arugula and a dressing flavored with cherry tomatoes, garlic and fresh rosemary. There's another for amango-mint chicken salad featuring boned, skinned chicken breast, sugar snap peas, arugula, bean sprouts, mangos and mint sprigs for garnish. The dressing includes fresh lime and lemon juice, honey, mint leaves, soyand grated fresh ginger.
In her cookbook "Nigella Bites", Nigella Lawson includes a ginger-hot duck salad. A duck breast is grilled and then carved on the diagonal into thin slices, tossed with a couple of tablespoons fish sauce, the juice of half a lime and half an orange; a finely chopped hot pepper; some grated fresh ginger and a few drops of sesame oil, and turned out onto serving plate covered with baby spinach or watercress. Or both.
I've made all these salads -- and then some. I've taken recipes and changed them, played with them, added to them and subtracted from them. I've made main-course salads for myself and made them for a crowd. And I'm far from an expert cook. If I can do it, so can you.
We have a wonderful salad that makes a meal by itself called "Japanese Cabbage Salad" (Serves 8).
Japanese Cabbage Salad
Makes a full meal when served with any Asian-style chicken, fish or tofu.
2 cups shredded red cabbage
2 cups shredded green cabbage
6 greens onions, sliced
1/4 cup slivered almonds, to toast
1/2 cup sesame seeds, to toast
1/4 cup dried cranberries, optional
Dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside. Spread sesame seeds on a baking tray and place in a 350F (180C) oven for about 5 minutes. Watch carefully -- they burn quickly. Toast almonds separately, at the same temperature but for a bit longer. Place all salad ingredients together in a bowl. Toss with dressing right before serving, so as not to lose the crunch. Makes 8 servings.
Per Serving: Calories 190, Protein 3g, Fat 16g, Carbohydrates 12g, Fiber 3g, Sodium 195mg (less if salt is omitted from recipe).
Author: Susan Rutter -- Publisher, Nutritionist, and Instructor who assists patients and the public make healthy choices and changes in their lives. Web Site: Healthy YOUbbieshttp://www.geocities.com/healthyoubbies/
MORE RESOURCES:
PC Brands Introduces Great Tasting Shelf-Stable Nutrition Bar With ... MarketWatch - "We are excited to be able to offer a probiotic that can be used in entirely new categories of food, including shelf-stable nutrition bars. ... |
Sport Supplement May Help Shield Seniors From Falls Washington Post, United States - ... primarily due to increased risk of falls." The study was published online this month in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. |
Nutrition expert cites health calamities within detention facilities WND.com, OR - ... he represented in the US Senate to halt a prison "feeding program" that is causing health problems for inmates, according to a nutrition organization. ... |
Natural Nutrition Inc posts record sales revenues for third ... Trading Markets (press release), CA - According to CEO Tim Connolly, the record revenues are attributable to the sales of the Natural Nutrition's primary operating subsidiary, ... |
Southwestern Black Bean Soup is chock-full of nutrition Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA - When paired with a grocery list of nutrient-rich vegetables, you have a bowl brimming with good nutrition. Like wheat bread, brown rice has more vitamins ... |
Conference serves up news about nutrition Sun-Sentinel.com, FL - Here are a few highlights from the four-day conference, which attracted more than 10000 food and nutrition professionals from throughout the world. ... |
There's value in 'rating' your plate Seattle Post Intelligencer - Promoting nutrition information, including key findings that come from peer-reviewed medical studies, will help, but every parent, teacher, ... |
Nestle Nutrition terminates collaborative agreement with Avestha ... Food Business Review - The company took to this move after finding a similar product in the research portfolio of Novartis Medical Nutrition. Nestle purchased Novartis Medical ... |
Nutrition in food security and national development Jamaica Gleaner, Jamaica - By factoring nutritional needs into the equation, we can ensure that surplus food production reaches the most vulnerable while at the same time minimising ... |
Nutrition experts shell out praise for walnuts DetNews.com, MI - Nutrition research on walnuts' health benefits are piling up, too. They're on the list of nuts that qualify for a US Food and Drug Administration health ... |
The No 1 Reason Why Most Diets Fail & What to Do About It
How many times have you tried to diet/lose weight in the past?How many times have you had some initial success only to fallshort of your goals?How many times have you achieved your initial goals, only to seethem fly away faster than you were able to enjoy the fruits ofyour labour?Why does this happen?In most cases, the answer is simple. You've failed one test.
Health Update: Have Your Chocolate and Eat It, Too!
According to the Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis & Haemostasis, a report released on August 10, 2005 elaborates how "Cocoa is the New Red Wine..
What is the Cause?
The question most people think they need an answer to is what is the cause of their this or that? Many people pay it lip service, but what is cause really? Going with the bucket analogy, what is the cause of one of the symptoms or diseases not being covered by water, or being expressed? Could it be that water is leaking out of the bucket through the holes? Which hole is the "cause" of the symptoms or disease being expressed? That is kind of a trick question.It is not just one hole that causes a symptom or disease to be expressed.
5 Tips To Lower Your Cholesterol
Cholesterol has been around for thousands of years. It's a natural function of the human body.
Chew Your Food
I am going to share with you possibly the most important piece of advice you will ever receive about nutrition. This piece of advice is not about supplementation.
Nutrition Tips to Improve Fat Loss
Incorporating these fat loss tips will improve your nutrition program. Start off slowly and add one a week, you don't have to adopt all of them at once.
The Wonderful Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet is now recognized as one of the healthiest in the world consisting as it does of large amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables, salads, nuts, seeds, omega-3 rich oily fish, olives, and olive oil and being comparitively low in dairy products and red meats.The people of the Mediterranean region, particuarly Greece and Spain, are very fortunate to live in an area where naturally healthy food is readily and cheaply available.
Reading Labels:Understanding Fiber, Fat, Carbohydrates, Etc
Since 1994, food manufacturers have required the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include food labels on all packaged food items. Labels can be a tremendous help in controlling our diets-but only if we understand them.
Introduction to Detox Diets
Detoxifying the body has become an apparent key preventative measure to all kinds of health problems. Since most of us are busy, and unable or unwilling to maintain a strict diet in order to completely eliminate all the toxins from our body.
Do You Know What You Are Eating?
With all the news about Splenda of late and the FTC, I had a client ask me the other day, "so what's the deal with Splenda, it's just sugar that has been processed!". I asked him if he knew what Splenda was and he said no.
Male Infertility and Glutathione
Are You Half The Man Your Father Was?It is a well-known fact that sperm counts have dropped by half in the last 50 years, and that modern men have 20 percent less semen volume than their fathers (BMJ, 1992, volume 305).A recent report from researchers in Aberdeen presented preliminary data that suggests the sperm concentration of the men seen in their clinic had declined by 29% over the past 14 years.
Wanna Look 10 Years Younger? Have More Fruits
Fruit calories are very healthy as compared to calories in fast foods or processed food.So, don't avoid fruits.
Sports Nutrition Made Simple
Following these simple nutrition guidelines will allow you to lose weight, and an abundance of energy throughout the day.1) Hydrate with water throughout the day.
Can a Child Thrive on a Vegan Diet? YES!
Can a child thrive on a vegan diet? The answer is yes! Far more studies show that a typical 'Western Diet' has deleterious effects on health compared to the risks of a vegan diet. In fact, vegetarian diets are associated with disease resistance and even higher I.
A Heart Healthy Diet Makeover
Heart Disease remains the number one cause of death in the U.S.
Capsulized Food: The Next Step in Food Evolution
Anyone who has spent a day fasting from food, or who has even skipped a meal, knows just how much time we save when we are not provisioning and consuming meals. Of course, efficiency is not our only concern when it comes to eating.
4 Steps To Brain Health
New studies bring to our attention that high levels of cholesterol might make the brain cells more prone to dementia. The heart and brain are connected to long term health - many things that heart patients do are good for all of us to keep our brain healthy, too.
Fluoride Damages Childrens Bones, Study Says
White-spotted or yellow splotched teeth may reveal more than needed expensive cosmetic dentistry.Children with fluoride-discolored teeth (dental fluorosis) are more likely to have bone damage, according to a study published in the journal "Fluoride.
Omega 3, Close to A Medical Miracle of our Century
OmegaRx Fish Oil, quoted as being close to a Medical Miracle in our Century! Omega 3, The Good Fat, Is on your side, they contribute to your good health. They are also a big part of Dr Barry Sears Zone Diet.
Best Skin Diet For Healthy Skin
"You are what you eat."Does it sound familiar? You probably have heard of it.