Every now and then, when I talk to people about improving their health, I receive comments like ‘I don’t want to just eat salads all day’, and I probably don’t do much to help quash the stereotype that healthy eating is all about eating salads! This is because I really enjoy salads and I find them tasty and versatile and with a salad, there really are no limits. Take a look at my Healthy Eating in Spring blog to see just what I mean!
Salads are a great, often low calorie, healthy meal option and at the same time they can be a great way to include a good few portions of your 5 A Day too. On top of this, salads can be really cheap, quick and easy to prepare as well as a good way to include a balance of foods from all the food groups.
When making a salad, I try and always include:
- 2-3 portions of salad and or vegetables/fruits
- A portion of carbohydrates to help give me energy and keep me fuelled for longer
On top of these two, I often include some dairy in the form of grated or grilled cheese and/or a portion of protein-rich foods such as beans, hummus, egg or lentils…
However, one of my favourite healthy salad recipes this spring has been the healthy salad recipe b
elow. Mainly because it takes no time, is incredibly quick and tasty and allows for total creativity too.Ingredients: (Serves 1)
- Around 4 leaves of spring greens (very cheap at this time of year). Or you could use kale or lettuce
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- ½-1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- Some stale bread chopped into little cubes
- Olive oil
- Rosemary
- And then whatever veggies you like. I like using tomatoes, avocado, peppers and spring onion, simply because they really work with this recipe
Method:
- Chop up all the vegetables you’re going to use and chop the spring greens roughly and add them all to a mixing bowl
- Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to a sauce pan and allow it to heat for a minute
- After a minute, add the chopped cubes of bread – turning every 30 seconds so they don’t burn
- Meanwhile add lemon juice and the garlic to the spring green mixture and combine all ingredients together well
- Just before the bread has browned, add a few sprigs of rosemary to the saucepan and leave to heat for a minute
- Once the bread is browned and crisp on the outside add it to the bowl with the salad mixture, mix well and serve.
