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Salad Surprises!
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From the familiar to the fantastic, a salad can be a meal in itself or a fitting grace note to any dinner. Here are some of my favorites
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By Kalia Doner
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Diabetes Focus Spring 2009
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 The inventory of lettuces and greens to choose from grows longer every day, as we become ever more adventurous about what we put in our salads. According to The George Mateljan Foundation’s book The World’s Healthiest Foods, lettuces are divided into four categories. Romaine, with its deep green long leaves, packs a nutritional punch. Butterhead, a type that includes Bibb and Boston, has a creamy soft green color with a taste to match. Leaf Lettuce includes green leaf and red leaf (the latter has the highest in antioxidants of all lettuces) and is short, curly and slightly crispy. Finally, there’s Crisphead (also called iceberg lettuce), which is watery and mild and is frequently found served in wedges, cold and crispy and topped with blue cheese dressing. As for greens, they range from arugula, watercress and spinach to lamb’s tongue (mâche), endive, frisée, chicory, escarole, mesclun, mizuna (oriental greens) and radicchio. And that doesn’t include the prebagged, mixed field or spring greens. (What’s in those bags exactly? Many contain arugula, mizuna, tat soi, frisée, oakleaf, red chard, radicchio, mustard greens and radicchio.)
Mix and match as you choose, but always play it safe by following the Department of Agriculture’s recommendations:
• Within two hours of buying, lettuce and greens should be refrigerated at 35 to 40° F and stored in plastic bags or lettuce keepers.
• Wash hands before preparing salads, and have a clean cutting board. It is best to have one for fresh foods and one for meats so you don’t cross-contaminate.
• Wash lettuce in cold water right before using. After washing, blot dry with paper towels or use a salad spinner to remove excess moisture.
• Bagged salads can be convenient, but even though they say prewashed, it is smart to rinse before eating and always remove all spoiled or damaged leaves.
Serves 8
This combination of garlicky grilled shrimp, savory white beans and pungent arugula serves as a main course for a summer lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
1 cup white beans, picked over and rinsed
2 cups 99% fat-free chicken broth
2 cups water
1 medium yellow onion, peeled
2 small carrots, peeled and cut in half crosswise
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tablespoons dry white wine
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1½ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 32 to 36 pieces per pound)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 bunch arugula, rinsed and stemmed
• Editor’s note: Nothing tastes quite like beans cooked from scratch, but you can always opt for drained, canned white beans. If you use dried beans, as the recipe calls for: Put the beans in a medium bowl and add cold water to cover by 2 inches. Soak for 6 to 8 hours (or overnight). Change the water once or twice during soaking.
Directions
1. Drain the beans and put them in a stockpot. Add the chicken broth, water, onion and carrots. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the beans.
2. Drain and rinse the beans. Discard the onion and carrots. Place the beans in a large bowl.
3. Meanwhile, make the marinade for the shrimp. Put ¼ cup of the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, wine, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste in a large glass or ceramic bowl and whisk together. Rinse the shrimp and pat them dry. Add the shrimp to the bowl and stir gently to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and arrange them for cooking on the grill or in the oven.
5. On the grill: Prepare gas or charcoal grill. If you are using a gas grill, the fire should be medium-hot. With a charcoal grill, the coals should be covered with a light coating of ash and glow deep red. In a wok grill topper, grill the shrimp until golden brown (5 to 7 minutes). Turn them at least once while cooking.
6. In the oven: Arrange the shrimp in a foil-lined broiler tray and cook under the broiler. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, turning once while cooking.
7. Add the shrimp to the beans, sprinkle with lemon juice. Add the arugula; toss together.
8. Mix the remaining 2 Tablespoons of vinegar and the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil together in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the salad and toss. Taste and adjust the seasonings. If necessary, toss again.
9. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Nutrition Per Serving
Calories
| 95
| | Total fat | 8 g | | Saturated fat | 1 g | | Cholesterol | 101 mg | | Sodium | 522 mg | Carbohydrate
| 10 g
| Sugar
| 2 g
| Protein
| 16 g
| Fiber
| 2 g
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From the Diabetes Menu Cookbook: Delicious Special-Occasion Recipes for Family and Friends by Barbara Scott Goodman and Kalia Doner
Serves 6 as a side dish
Serve this for a summer lunch, or as a first course along with grilled fish. You can use any cheese you like.
Ingredients
Salad:
1 ripe Anjou pear, peeled and cubed
1 16-ounce package baby spinach, stems removed
½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 2 ounces)
4 oounces walnuts, chopped
1 pint fresh blueberries
Dressing:
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup raspberry or balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Make the dressing first by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until well-blended. Set aside.
2. Wash the baby spinach; spin dry. Set aside.
3. Rinse the blueberries, removing any soft or spoiled ones. Set aside.
4. Quarter the walnut halves.
5. Wash, peel and cut the pear into ½-inch cubes.
6. In a small bowl crumble cheese with a fork.
7. In a large salad bowl, place the spinach, pears and walnuts. Toss well and add half of the dressing. Toss again until all items are gently coated.
8. Add blueberries and cheese to salad. If you like, drizzle remaining dressing over them. Toss gently until the salad is well-mixed.
Nutrition Per Serving
Calories
| 385
| | Total fat | 33 g | Protein
| 10 g | | Cholesterol | 9 mg | | Sodium | 208 mg | Carbohydrate
| 20 g
| Fiber
| 6 g
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Serves 8
A great accompaniment to grilled pork chops or salmon, this tangy but sweet salad is easy to make and enjoy.
Ingredients
2 California navel oranges, peeled and separated into sections with white pith and membranes removed; each section cut in half
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 bunches fresh watercress, stems removed
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
1. Peel, section and cut oranges on a surface that will retain juice. Pour juice into a bowl and set aside for dressing.
2. In a large salad bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper until well-blended. Pour in retained orange juice slowly until dressing has desired consistency. Be careful not make dressing too runny.
3. Add watercress and orange slices. Toss well.
4. Sprinkle salad with almond slices.
Nutrition Per Serving
Calories
| 59
| | Total fat | 4 g | | Cholesterol | 0 mg | | Sodium | 23 mg | Carbohydrate
| 7 g
| Protein
| 2 g
| Fiber
| 1 g
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Serves 6
Turkey should be cooked often, not just for holidays, because leftovers are versatile and luscious. Here’s a lightened-up twist on a turkey sandwich—shredded turkey and Savoy cabbage with fresh herbs and Asian vinaigrette spooned into a wrap. (You may use Chinese, green or red cabbage.)
Ingredients
2 cups shredded turkey
2 cups shredded Savoy cabbage
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 scallions, trimmed and finely minced
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Pinch of sugar
¼ cup corn or canola oil
6 flour tortillas or wraps, 8 inches in diameter
Directions
1. Mix the turkey, cabbage, cilantro, mint and scallions together in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar. Slowly add the corn or canola oil, whisking constantly until well-combined.
3. Pour the vinaigrette over the turkey mixture and toss well to combine.
4. Spoon the turkey salad down the center of the wrap. Fold the sides toward the center of the wrap. Fold the bottom toward the center and roll toward the top. Cut the wrap on the diagonal and serve.
From the Diabetes Menu Cookbook: Delicious Special-Occasion Recipes for Family and Friends by Barbara Scott Goodman and Kalia Doner
Nutrition Per Serving
Calories
| 197
| | Total fat | 17 g | | Saturated fat | 2 g | | Cholesterol | 71 mg | | Sodium | 467 mg | Carbohydrate
| 26 g
| Sugar
| 2 g
| Protein
| 35 g |
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