Side Salads

Alright, fess up, how many vegetables do you actually eat a day? You are supposed to get from 6-9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. A serving is roughly the size of your fist. I will absolutely admit it. As much as I feel I try to add multiple vegetables to every meal, even breakfast, I still need vitamins to supplement my lack.

One easy solution is side salads and appetizers to help fill you up before you overeat a rich meal. I love salads, LOVE them, and they are primarily made up of mostly fruits and vegetables. The problem? Everyone else's salad tastes better. I love to eat salads when I go out to eat, but making them at home is not the same. Maybe it's the dressing?

Here are a few side salad recipes I have found to be quite rewarding and easy to make. I mostly enjoy salads with baby spinach and romaine, but I have recently found that I like endive and a wide variety of romaine lettuces. Use what you like. Iceberg lettuce is useful for some recipes, but it does not score very high in nutrition for a vegetable. Stick to greens that are, well, green!

Tomato and "Mozzarella" salad

fresh basil leaves, Julianne cut

2 large heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced

sliced cheese e.g. white American, provolone or other low-fat white cheese

hearts of romaine, finely chopped (optional)

balsamic vinaigrette, low-fat (not fat free)

Half the cheese slices into triangles. I have also seen a version using goat cheese slices but my favorite is white American. Trader Joes actually sells mozzarella slices made with goat's milk. It's actually delicious. Do not use fresh mozzarella if you want to avoid expensive and fatty cheeses.

Heirloom tomatoes make this dish because of their beautiful color and few seeds. Layer tomato slices and cheese triangles, alternately, over a bed of finely chopped hearts of romaine. I normally just serve the tomato and cheese slices, but I tried a version over lettuce, and it was very satisfying. Top layers with basil and vinaigrette. Fat free dressings are made with water and very dissatisfying. Low fat varieties still offers some heart-healthy olive oil and filling fats while still cutting calories.

Mediterranean salad

romaine lettuce, chopped

cherry tomatoes, halved

1 pita picket, torn into tiny pieces

feta cheese crumbles, flavored or plain

chickapeas (optional)

Mediterranean dressing e.g. balsamic vinaigrette or black olive with feta

On a medium cooking sheet, layer pieces of pita. Spray with oil and bake on 400 for 5 minutes or until crisp. These light "crutons" give this side salad a little crunch. I like to use the mini pita pockets sold at TJs because the pita is thinner. The black olive with feta dressing is offered by Kraft, and it is one of my absolute favorites. Be sparing, but a little goes a long way on taste.

Baked goat cheese salad

12 oz. goat cheese e.g. plain, lemon citrus, or herbed

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup bread crumbs or Panko

dried fruit e.g. cranberries, currants or raisins

spring greens or baby spinach (stemmed)

sliced almonds

sweet vinaigrette e.g. pomegranate, poppyseed, raspberry (full fat)

The first time I tried this recipe I accidentally bought a citrus-flavored goat cheese log, but it is by far my favorite version. I would not use a peppercorn variety on this dish though. Make sure cheese is cold and cut log into half-inch rounds. Drench rounds in egg and bread crumbs and layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray rounds with oil and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese starts to brown.

Layer greens with dried fruit (I prefer cran-raisins) and almonds. Top each salad with two or three cheese rounds and serve with a side of dressing. I do not recommend low-fat sweet dressings because of the artificial sugars and colors. Buy organic to avoid artificial ingredients. Or dress your salad with simple olive oil and vinegar.