As temperatures rise, I tend to cook lighter dishes and we include a lot more salads on our weekly menus. Even though I love to cook and both my husband and I love to eat, I do my best to keep our meals as healthy as possible. I avoid fried foods, red meat, processed foods, and try to incorporate as many plant-based dishes as possible into our weekly meal plan.
For our lunches I love preparing hearty vegetable and cereal soups or large crunchy salads. I always say this, but my favorite salads have a lot of texture, color, are full of flavor but they have to be healthy for you too. This salad has all that and more! What’s great about this salad is that you can play around with the ingredients depending on what you have on hand, what’s seasonal, or what ingredients you prefer.
In addition to the vegetables I used in the photos, other options would include peas, fava beans, sweet corn, chopped cauliflower or broccoli florets. Just try to vary the colors of the vegetables you choose to keep them as visually appealing as possible. I included some chopped Kalamata olives and capers in this salad for added tangy flavor and chickpeas for added protein.
However, you can use any beans you like or eliminate them altogether. I dressed this salad with a vinaigrette made of white balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a touch of Dijon mustard and topped the salad with crumbled feta.
Instead of feta you can use crumbled goat’s cheese and, if you prefer, also add lightly toasted chopped walnuts or almonds. I added some chopped fresh parsley leaves and peppery arugula, but fresh basil or mint would also work well in this salad.
This is a great salad to take along for a picnic or barbecue and holds up well in the fridge for a couple of days, although it may not be as crunchy as when you first made it. The addition of chickpeas makes this a very satisfying salad that could easily become a main course on a scorching summer day.
The key to making a chopped salad like this is to carefully cut the greens into small, even cubes and use the same amount of each green. This makes a large bowl of salad that will feed 8 to 10 people, but you can easily reduce the size, just remember to use the same amounts of each ingredient.
Enjoy your meal!
Debora Mele
Ingredients
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3/4 cup finely chopped onion
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3/4 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
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3/4 cup finely chopped carrot
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3/4 cup finely chopped celery
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3/4 cup finely chopped zucchini
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1 can chickpeas (14 ounces).
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3/4 cup fennel bulb, finely chopped
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3/4 cup finely chopped summer squash
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1/2 cup coarsely torn parsley leaves
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1 cup coarsely chopped arugula
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3/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
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1/4 cup drained and chopped capers
Get dressed:
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1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
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1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
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1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
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1 teaspoon dried oregano
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Salt and pepper
To serve:
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1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the salad ingredients together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients, then pour over the salad.
- Toss well to coat, taste and adjust seasoning ingredients, salt and pepper as needed.
- Sprinkle crumbled feta over salad and serve.
Nutritional information:
Product: 8
Portion: 1 cup
Quantity per serving:
Calories: 272Total fat: 21 gSaturated fat: 5 gTrans fats: 0gUnsaturated fats: 15 gCholesterol: 17 mgSodium: 741mgCarbohydrates: 16 gFiber: 5 gSugar: 7 gProtein: 6g
