5 Simple Salads to Make This Week

If you’ve been following me for some time now, you might have picked up on the fact that I don’t really eat much salads. Little by little after years of drinking green smoothies, I actually started liking salads.  Surprisingly this summer, salads have become a weekly staple for me.  I could blame it on the hot weather, but I like to think it was just by my own admission.

I think for most people especially if you grew up in a meat eating household, Salads were side dishes not meals or even half a meal. So there’s not much thought that goes into making them. At my house the usual basic salad  consisted of  romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers with french dressing. Very lackluster to say the least, you get your “greens” in but its not enjoyable.

If there’s one thing I learned during this whole transition to  being pescatarian, you got to make your food tasty and most importantly visually pleasing. Or it will definitely feel like a punishment or an obligation that you don’t want to keep.  So far I’ve enjoy them and my family has to, no more are the days of lackluster salads! Check out the recipes below:

 

Berries and Seeds Salad

• 1 (10 oz bag) of Fresh Organic Spinach
• 1 1/2 cup of Organic Blueberries
• 1 1/2 cup of Organic Raspberries
• 1/2 of medium size Organic English Cucumbers (sliced)
• 1/3 cup of Raw Sunflower seeds(optional)
• 1/2 cup of Feta or goat cheese (optional)
• Any Champagne Vinaigrette dressing to your liking ( I like Trader Joe’s Low Fat Champagne Pear Vinaigrette)

1. Wash and pat dry with a paper towel the spinach, blueberries, raspberries and cucumber and set aside.
2. Slice the cucumbers in to bite size pieces.
3. In large serving bowl, combine all the ingredients.
4. Pour your desired amount of vinaigrette dressing over salad; toss gently to coat.

 

Kale Power Salad

This salad is super easy to make since its pretty much already done for you. You can do it from scratch if you like but if you’re like me the Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Crunch Collection cuts the prep time. This salad taste better as it sits since it wilts down the kale, raw cabbage and raw brussel sprouts just a bit.

• 1 bag of Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Crunch Collection ( Contains Kale, Cabbage, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts)
• 1/2 cup of Raw Pumpkin Seeds
• 1/2 cup of Dried Cranberries
• 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Trader Joe’s Low Fat Champagne Pear Vinaigrette

1. Wash the ingredients from the Trader Joe’s  Cruciferous Crunch Collection and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. In a large serving bowl combine the Trader Joe’s  Cruciferous Crunch Collection, raw pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries evenly.
3. Pour dressing over salad; toss gently till evenly coated. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge.
   
4. Top with the cheese and serve.

 

Strawberry Walnut Salad

• 1  (10 oz bag) of Fresh Organic Spinach
• 2 cups of Fresh Organic Strawberries sliced
• 1/2 cup Blue Cheese crumbles
• 1 cup Candied Walnuts
• Your choice of  your  favorite Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

1. Wash the Spinach and Strawberries  and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Destem the strawberries and cut into bite size pieces.
3. In large serving bowl combine the spinach, strawberries, cheese and walnuts till evenly mixed.
4. Pour your desired amount of vinaigrette dressing over salad; toss gently to coat.

 

Sweet Greens Kale Salad

• 1 bag of Fresh Organic Kale
• 2 medium size Organic Granny Smith Apples
• 2 medium size Organic Pears
• 1/2 cup Raw Pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup Goat Cheese ( optional)
• Your choice of your favorite Apple Vinaigrette dressing ( I like Panera’s Fuji Apple Salad dressing).
  

1. Wash the kale, apple and pear and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Dice the apples and pears to bite sized pieces.
3. In large serving bowl, combine the kale, apples, pears, raw pumpkin seeds and goat cheese till evenly mixed.
4. Pour your desired amount of vinaigrette dressing over salad; toss gently to coat.

 

 

Spinach and Sun-dried Tomatoes Salad

•  1 (10 oz bag) of Fresh Organic Spinach
• 1 cup of Sun-dried tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 cup of Fontina or Feta Cheese
• 1/2 cup of Pita bread chips (broken to bite sized pieces)
• Your choice of Zesty Italian Vinaigrette dressing

1. Wash the spinach and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Chopped the sun-dried tomatoes and set aside. On a flat surface crush the pita chips until they are broken to bite sized pieces.
3. In large serving bowl, combine the spinach, sun dried tomatoes, cheese and pita bread till evenly mixed.
4. Pour your desired amount of vinaigrette dressing over salad; toss gently to coat.

Happy Cooking! 🙂