During the hot days of summer I am not fond of doing a lot of cooking and slaving over hot flames so I am constantly on a search for quick and easy to prepare meals that are healthy. Salads fit the bill for me, I hace them for lunch and dinner, because I can whip them up in less than 10 minutes. If I am feeling particularly inspired I will even make my own dressing, otherwise I simply use one of the many that I have as staples in my frig.
The salad picture above is a baby spinach and salmon salad. I used the following ingredients:
Organic Baby Spinach
shredded carrots (purchased, but of course you can shred your own)
half of a red delicious apple
raisins
half of a vine ripen tomato
4 oz salmon fillet
Mrs. Dash Seasoning
Ken's Lite Walnut Raspberry vinegrette
I seasoned the salmon fillet with Mrs. Dash and cooked it in a pan on the stove for about 7 minutes until it was cooked through. The other ingredients I assembled on the plate, topped with the cooked salmon and drizzled with the vinegrette. It was delicious!
I made a similar salad for lunch the next day but used cooked shrimp instead of salmon. I also added feta cheese, mandarin oranges,craisins, and pecans. I left out the raisins, carrots and apples this time. Basically you can make this type of salad with whatever ingredients you have on hand. The key is to choose colorful fruits and vegetables and different textures. This makes the salad both visually appealing (which I find makes me eat more slowly to savor the salad) and I love the feeling of crunchiness in my mouth.
Another favorite of mine is strawberry salad with romaine lettuce, really the possibilities are endless. Check out your local farmers market and choose seasonal fruits and veggies that will make your mouth happy!
