I have missed sharing recipes since the inception of the diet because what I’ve been eating has been pretty...well...plain. Not that I don’t enjoy it - I actually do! In particular, the serious rise in fresh fruits and vegetables in my daily intake has been enlightening. And delicious :)
When the weather is cold, I don’t really want to have cold food. Things like salads pretty much go by the board in the winter but come spring I start to crave them. And a couple of nights ago I started fooling around with salad ideas. I eventually came up with this, which we had for dinner to night and which I’m tickled to be able to pass along. I’m picky about salads - I want them to taste good - not just be filler. This tastes great - looks pretty too :)
For each person (make it a hungry person - this is a sizeable salad!), start with 2 cups of shredded Romaine lettuce.
I used Newman’s Own Low-Fat Sesame Ginger dressing on my salad - probably a quarter cup. Myria preferred to have Fat Free Ranch dressing on hers. I would also have added either red or green (spring) onions to my salad if I had remembered to buy any :)
The whole shebang comes in at around 400 calories, give or take a little depending on what kind of salad dressing you’re using. It tasted absolutely wonderful and it’s a pretty fair amount of food so you don’t go away from the table feeling like you still need to have dinner! It also looks very pretty and the combination of colors and textures is very appetizing.
Semi-Asian Salad
Per person:
2 c shredded Romaine lettuce (16 calories)
2 plum (Roma) tomatoes, quartered lengthwise (22 calories)
8 ears baby corn, drained (21 calories)
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chunked (17 calories)
1/4 c sliced mushrooms (5 calories)
1/4 c Mandarin oranges, drained (18 calories)
2 oz sliced water chestnuts, drained (28 calories)
4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, seasoned as you prefer (180 calories)
1/4 c Newman’s Own Low-Fat Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing (70 calories)
377 calories, total
I used calories counts from the 3 fat chicks on a diet website. You can, of course, substitute any kind of lettuce you prefer (I adore Butter lettuce and can’t wait to try this salad with it!) and add things you like or subtract things you don’t.
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Yum-mee! I’ve missed the spice of a recipe here and there too. You haven’t missed your touch with a great simple recipe.
I finished one sock in that cotton/silk and now I’m trying to get myself to start the second. I’d say I was apathetic but I just don’t care. LOL
your salad is certainly colorful and sounds tasty too- this has been my summer for feeling rather ‘blech’ about most eating, but that combo does look tempting- i think the best thing about summer is finding all the nice produce available- ah, the fruits! your report about mango-eating has had me on a mission to buy some *soon*- eating those is definitely a lesson in just how messy one can get, but they are sooo worth it, aren’t they?
i’m trying to copy my coral yarn with another skein, but i’m the idiot who didn’t write down my proportions and cannot remember if my pink and plain lemonade color ratio was 1:1, 2:1, or 1:2- i may be ‘cooking up’ a disaster-
stay happy-
Aarlene - Good going on the sock! I know you were worried about how comfortable that yarn would be to work with. I know you’ll get that second one done when you’re ready :)
Barb - It was your mention of putting fruit into a regular salad that made me think of the mandarin oranges. Sadly, that dressing has about 365 mg of sodium per 2 tablespoonsful. I’m watching sodium too so I have to plan around that.
Even if your new coral doesn’t match your old coral, wouldn’t it still go with? What about intentionally making it darker or lighter to co-ordinate rather than match exactly?
Oooh, Robbyn, I just discovered Newman’s Reduced Fat Sesame Ginger salad dressing. In addition to salads, it is GREAT when used as a marinade for that “plain” chicken or fish. Yum! and that salad is making my mouth water…
I’m a post late on the mango discussion, but there is a slightly easier way to deal with a mango: peel the mango & with a sharp knife, score the fruit in a grid pattern down to the pit. (Cutting perpendicular to the pit.) Then cut parallel to the pit so that your scored pieces come off in cubes. Or, cut down along the pit & score the other way & cut parallel to the skin. It’s still a messy endeavor in the cutting, but the eating’s easier!
My biggest problem is finding mango that’s tasty & not bland.
Rob - Thanks for the marinade tip - I bet it’s fantastic! And I’m tickled to know there’s another sesame/ginger addict out there :)
Samina - Thanks for the pointers! The fruit I had was anything but bland - very bright and flavorful. Something I definitely plan to include in my future fruit purchases. I’ll give your cutting method a try.
Wow, that salad looks good. I love the way you phrase things. I, too, have been eating salads in the summer - I just crave them and am always looking for something different. Problem is, like you said, it’s just filler sometimes. Nothing like eating a substantial salad and reaping all the health benefits. I don’t think we get that type of “Newman’s Own” dressing here in Toronto. If it’s new, it’ll take a few years to make its way into Canada. I’ll be sure to look for it the next time I’m in the states!
Cheryl - Actually, you can use kind of salad dressing you like. I’m just particularly fond of the Asian types but blue cheese would be fabulous - or anything else you’re partial to.
If you have a McDonald’s in your area (no kidding!), see if they offer the Asian salad. In our area, the Newman’s dressing comes with that. And, believe it or not, the McD’s salad is really, really good :)
