Superfood Salads-4 Tips and 4 Recipes

Salads are perfect for introducing superfoods into your lifestyle.  Superfood your salad with these 4 tips for making delicious and healthy salads along with 4 of our favorite superfood salad recipes!

 

4 Healthy Tips

 

Superfood salads contain healthy ingredients and are prepared using healthy cooking methods.  When you page through your cook books or surf online to find healthy salads, look for recipes that include:

1. Use fruits, vegetables, or legumes as main ingredients.  Eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables of different colors every day is optimal to get a variety of antioxidant-rich phytochemicals, fiber, and nutrients.  You can get several of those servings by making salads that include some of the fruit and vegetable superfoods.
2. Dress salads with healthful oils.  Olive, walnut, or canola oil are best.  Avoid fatty, creamy dressings and make sure your dressing isn’t high in sugar and sodium.
3. Cook ingredients using methods that don’t add extra fat and calories.  If you’re adding a protein to your salad, baking roasting, sautéing and stir-frying are best.  Avoid salads with deep fried or pan fried proteins.
4. Use healthy substitutions.  If your favorite recipes don’t include superfoods as ingredients, you can make them a little bit healthier by making substitutions like these:

• Use dried cranberries instead of raisins in slaws and salads.
• Substitute albacore tuna for chicken in salads.
• Start your salad with raw spinach leaves instead of iceberg lettuce.
• Top your salad with pecans or sunflower seeds instead of croutons.
• Replace vegetable oil with olive oil.

 

4 Superfood Salad Recipes

1. Tomato and Avocado Salad

 

Tomatoes, avocados, and olive oil offer a delicious combination of vitamins, antioxidants, and healthful oils—truly a heart-healthy dish!

 

Prep time: About 5 to 15 minutes

 

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
• 2 small tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
• 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

STEP 1: Arrange avocado, tomatoes, and onion on a serving plate in alternating fashion.

 

STEP 2: Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, and cilantro. Pour the dressing over the salad, and add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Vary It: If fresh cilantro isn’t available or isn’t to your liking, you can use parsley instead.

 

Per serving: Calories 322 (From Fat 301); Fat 33g (Saturated 5g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 150mg; Carbohydrate 7g (Dietary Fiber 5g); Protein 2g.

      2. Strawberry and Kale Salad

 

Strawberries, kale and almonds give this salad a lot of nutrients, including vitamins A, C and calcium. Sesame seeds add trace minerals copper and manganese that help keep your bones healthy.

 

Prep time: About 30 minutes

 

Yield: 4 servings

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced’10 ounces fresh kale, rinsed and dried
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

 

STEP 1: In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.

 

STEP 2: In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, spinach, almonds, and sesame seeds. Just before serving, add the dressing to the salad, and toss to combine.

 

Per serving: Calories 192 (From Fat 14); Fat 10g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 346mg; Carbohydrate 15g (Dietary Fiber 5g); Protein 5g.

      3. Cucumber and Tomato Salad

 

Tomatoes shine as the superfood star of this recipe, and they’re combined with two other superfoods—garlic and olive oil.  The rest of the ingredients are good for you too.  Cucumbers add vitamin C and minerals, and feta cheese adds protein and calcium.

 

Prep time: About 15 minutes

 

Yield: 4 servings

• 2 cucumbers, peeled and thinkly sliced
• ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, cut into small wedges or diced
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

STEP 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cucumber, onion, tomato and feta cheese.

 

STEP 2: In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegar, oil, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Add to the cucumber and tomato mixture, and toss to combine.  Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

 

Per serving: Calories 126 (From Fat 84)l /fat 9g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 8mg; Sodium 263mg; Carbohydrate 9g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein 3g.

      4. Soybean Arugala Salad

 

This salad contains lots of nutrients, antioxidants, fiber, and healthy fats.  Arugala is an aromatic salad green that’s low in calories and high in vitamins A and C.

 

Prep time: About 20 minutes, plus 2 to 3 hours for flavors to combine

 

Cooking time: 5 minutes

 

Yield: 4 servings

• Two 15-ounce cans of soybeans, undrained
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¾ teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 diced Roma tomatoes
• ¼ cup chopped black olives
• 1 large bunch (about 5 ounces) of arugala, stems removed, and chopped
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

 

STEP 1: Heat the beans in medium saucepan over medium heat, and add ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and garlic powder.  Remove from the heat when the beans start to bubble.  Strain the beans after cooking.

 

STEP 2: In a blender or small food processor, place garlic cloves, rosemary, oregano, vinegars, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.  Blend while slowly adding olive oil until the mixture is emulsified.

 

STEP 3: In a large bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, and olives.  Pour the desired amount of dressing over it, and toss to combine.  Cover and let sit for 2 to 3 hours to let the flavors come together.  Serve at room temperature.

 

STEP 4: Immediately before serving, mix in chopped arugala and add freshly grated parmesan.

 

Per serving: Calories 318 (From Fat 206); Fat 23g (saturated 3g); Cholesterol 4mg; Sodium 754mg; Carbohydrate 16g (dietary Fiber 7g) Protein 13g.

 

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About Priority You MD

 

Priority You MD provides personalized, integrative healthcare for general wellness, anti-aging, athletic performance and weight management as well as more complex medical issues. In addition, our facility also provides aesthetic services and fitness training. Combining diet, nutrition and exercise with evidence based medicine and preventative therapies, our goal is to help our patients achieve and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.

 

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Headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, Trim® Nutrition and Priority You MD’s clinical staff of physicians, pharmacists, registered nurses, and research and development specialists are dedicated to the mission of Making Bodies Better™.