I know it seems hard to make a big salad and eat it everyday. For some it is not filling or appetizing, or too crunchy. But it doesn't have to be that way - salad is quite enjoyable! It is all in how you prepare it. To make it a filling meal you MUST make an EXTRA BIG SALAD - one that would normally serve 6 or more people! All the ingredients that typically go into salads are very low in calories so a nice salad dressing of avocado, mango or plantain for example, can boost calories and make it much more enjoyable to eat.
Here are a few steps that create a perfect daily Big Salad:
1. First you have got to make your salad interesting!
Don't just put lettuce, tomato and cucumber and expect a miracle! The more fresh ingredients the better! change your ingredients and salad dressings daily to keep it creative and your taste buds satisfied.
Tomato, carrot, cucumber, green leafy vegetables, okra, avocado, broccoli, chayote/christophene, pumpkin and beet root are great bases for a salad. I make sure I have all of these in each salad (except the avocado).
2. Change your green leafy vegetables regularly!
Don't just use lettuce all the time. Use different kinds of greens like pakchoi/bokchoy, chard, and varieties of lettuce like romaine or butterhead. Try kale and spicy green leaves like arugula and watercress. Chives, mint and basil will also add some kick.
3. Add fruit for sweetness!
Beet root or carrot can be sweet but chunks of fruit are great too. I like apple, strawberry, blue berries, pear, mango or kiwi. I usually add just one fruit. But two works just as good. Cubed peaches, mango and apricots might also be quite nice. Some like orange slices.
Likewise if you want spice or zing add fresh red onion, ginger or a hot pepper.
4. Add seeds or nuts to get more nutritional value! Pumpkin seeds are a favourite of many.
5. Add a grain to increase the "heaviness" of your salad if you don't feel full (though the bigger the salad the more full you will feel. It is a meal so make it big)
Add half cup of cooked, room temperature quinoa, cous cous, bulgar wheat or millet, and make sure when you prepare them that your water is well seasoned with curry, saffron, cumin to name a few spices.
6. Add lentils or chick peas. It is important not to mix your salad with too much cooked food. It should be eaten as an all-raw meal ideally. but if you need to make it heavier to get you through the day, add a grain as mentioned OR add legumes such as channa/chickpeas or lentils. Soak them overnight, cook them, but strain off all the liquid before you mix them in a salad.
7.Make everything bite size!
Eating salad as a meal isn't fun when u spend all your energy trying to chew hard chunks of carrot and cucumber!
Make sure your chunks are bite size for tomato, avocado, cucumber, strawberries, brocolli, apple, pear and kiwi. For broccoli I make sure to break the heads apart so that they are small as well and I add chunks of the stalk.
1. First you have got to make your salad interesting!
Don't just put lettuce, tomato and cucumber and expect a miracle! The more fresh ingredients the better! change your ingredients and salad dressings daily to keep it creative and your taste buds satisfied.
Tomato, carrot, cucumber, green leafy vegetables, okra, avocado, broccoli, chayote/christophene, pumpkin and beet root are great bases for a salad. I make sure I have all of these in each salad (except the avocado).
2. Change your green leafy vegetables regularly!
Don't just use lettuce all the time. Use different kinds of greens like pakchoi/bokchoy, chard, and varieties of lettuce like romaine or butterhead. Try kale and spicy green leaves like arugula and watercress. Chives, mint and basil will also add some kick.
3. Add fruit for sweetness!
Beet root or carrot can be sweet but chunks of fruit are great too. I like apple, strawberry, blue berries, pear, mango or kiwi. I usually add just one fruit. But two works just as good. Cubed peaches, mango and apricots might also be quite nice. Some like orange slices.
Likewise if you want spice or zing add fresh red onion, ginger or a hot pepper.
4. Add seeds or nuts to get more nutritional value! Pumpkin seeds are a favourite of many.
5. Add a grain to increase the "heaviness" of your salad if you don't feel full (though the bigger the salad the more full you will feel. It is a meal so make it big)
Add half cup of cooked, room temperature quinoa, cous cous, bulgar wheat or millet, and make sure when you prepare them that your water is well seasoned with curry, saffron, cumin to name a few spices.
6. Add lentils or chick peas. It is important not to mix your salad with too much cooked food. It should be eaten as an all-raw meal ideally. but if you need to make it heavier to get you through the day, add a grain as mentioned OR add legumes such as channa/chickpeas or lentils. Soak them overnight, cook them, but strain off all the liquid before you mix them in a salad.
7.Make everything bite size!
Eating salad as a meal isn't fun when u spend all your energy trying to chew hard chunks of carrot and cucumber!
Make sure your chunks are bite size for tomato, avocado, cucumber, strawberries, brocolli, apple, pear and kiwi. For broccoli I make sure to break the heads apart so that they are small as well and I add chunks of the stalk.
Always grate carrots, christophene, pumpkin and beets. Squeeze out the juice in your hand so they won't get soggy if you are not eating your salad immediately after prep. I also grate or spiralize zucchini, and spiral noodles can be made of carrot and beets as well to be fancy!
8. Add a great dressing to your salad. Use a thick and creamy dressing from plantain, avocado or mango; or make an oily dressing.
9. Keep your salad fresh by separating the wet ingredients from the dry, if you are not eating it immediately after prep. Letting it get all soggy throws off your appetite! Store greens in their own container or section of a compartmentalized container. Store tomatoes and cucumbers separately as well. This goes for the channa or lentils as well. If you have a big flat dish, just put every ingredient into its own pile and then mix them altogether when it's time to eat.
10. Buy enough produce to last you through the week! This is important to maintain your healthy Ital lifestyle. the more people in our family following the Ital Livity, the more produce you need to get, so it's best to budget wisely and be as frugal as possible - growing your own herbs and greens at home saves lots of money as well!
I hope these ten steps will help you become an avid salad maker! There are no limits to the creativity you can put into making your salad meal. you can even write your favourite combinations down which help you plan your produce list when shopping.
See our recommendations for buying and storing fresh produce for a week here!
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