Salads....for...a....healthier...lifestyle...

Salads which are usually eaten raw is easy to prepare. Fresh garden vegetables and fruits that are available in their country of origin can be used. The basic dressings for salads are usually oil and vinegar. ( 3 tbsp oil to 1 tbsp vinegar). For salads we can use olive oil( extra virgin) or sunflower oil. All kinds of vinegar like apple cider or italian balsamic vinegar can be used. We can replace vinegar with lemon or lime juice. But for the asian dressings we used soya sauce ,garlic oil, onion oil, sesame oil in our salads. For a rich and creamy dressing we can add mayonaise or sour cream which is not so healthy because of the fat and cholesterol content.

Here is a simple garden salad i made yesterday......

Ingredients:

some variety of lettuce

cherry tomatoes

japanese cucumber - (sliced thinly)

1/2 carrot - (coarsely grated)

croutons ( i roasted from my left-over garlic bread)

Dressings:

1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp mayonaise (optional- son's request)

a dash of salt and black pepper

My salad spinner..........just spin and the vege will dry in seconds.....!


the prepared dressing.................................

Method:

Wash and dry the vege on a clean cloth....i used salad spinner..see pic above. Keep in fridge. Prepare dressing by mixing all in a glass bowl. You can prepare a larger amount and keep in a bottle in fridge. Drizzle dressing over vege when ready to serve only. Mix gently with 2 spoons or chopsticks by turning it over delicately not to bruise the greens.

salads ready to be served..........oops..!...forget to add croutons.....