Savour the fresh leaves of summer
Having green leaves salads for your DIET this summer is magical in losing the extra kilos gained during winter!
Vegetables have extremely varied flavours to pamper your discerning palates. Green Salads can be plain lettuce and other vegetables with bits of tuna, chicken breast, ham, egg, nuts, croutons etc… Salads should be dressed at the last minute to prevent WILTING. For the leaves to remain crisp, toss very lightly the dressing. Always add Olive Oil to the vinegar dressing to make the leaves glisten. Herbs, crushed toasted garlic and onions may be added to the dressing to make gourmet salads.
The healthiest salad dressing is vinegar, lemon or lemon juice with olive oil, seasonings and herbs. Although mayonnaise, sour cream, yoghurt, cheese add exotic flavour to salads, they carry high caloric value which is a NO to a low diet regimen.
Below are recipes of SALADS to add romance to your healthy meal!
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GRILLED MIX VEGA SALAD
Ingredients:
Eggplants, Carrots, Zucchini, Capsicum, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions, balsamic vinegar, marjoram, orange marmalade
Procedure:
Preheat grill to a medium high
Slice lengthwise eggplant, zucchini and carrots
Barbecue capsicum until skin is blackened, ready to peel
Grill and cook other vegetables but be sure veggies are firm and not overcooked
Grill the tomatoes cut into quarters very lightly
Sauté in frying pan small amount of olive oil, garlic, marjoram and salt to taste and stir in orange marmalade.
Peel grilled capsicum and cut into strips and cut rest of vegetables into desired sizes or chunks.
Transfer to salad bowl and add the olive oils mixture.
Add the balsamic vinegar and dash of sugar to taste to dress the salad.
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TUNA AND AVOCADO SALAD
Ingredients:
250 gm Tinned Tuna Chunks in brine, 2 avocados, 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice, 1 segment of garlic, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ cup Olive or Peanut Oil, lettuce leaves as desired 1 cup sliced capsicum or re pimientos, pepper to taste
Procedure:
Make the Lemon dressing consisting of paprika, chopped garlic, olive or peanut oil, pepper to taste. No salt
Prepare the other ingredients and mix in a salad bowl. Tuna should remain in chunks and avocado in big cubes for better presentation.
Toss salad with the dressing. Serve chilled.
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CITRUS SEAFOOD SALAD
Ingredients:
500 gms mix seafood, 3 oranges, 2 grapefruit, lettuce, 1 tablespoon mint, ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup Olive Oil, and pepper to taste (sugar and salt optional)
Procedure:
Prepare the mint dressing consisting of chopped fresh mint, lemon juice, oil, pepper, salt and sugar to taste and shake
Peel grapefruit, cut into thick slices then cut in smaller pieces
Cut the oranges in thin slices.
Blanch the mix seafood and drain and add little oil to glisten
Combine citrus ingredients to the seafood mix
Add the mint dressing
Line the salad bowl with lettuce leaves and put the salad mixture.
Garnish salad with fancy cut of orange.
Serve chilled
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