I have been reading my Reader’s Digest Low Calorie Cookbook for quite some time now. I had been eyeing a recipe for Mixed Salad Leaves with flowers and blueberries for a long time, and I finally decided to give it a go a couple days ago.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to make the salad just like the recipe states. Many ingredients such as flowers are just not available in the grocery stores (we do grow nasturtiums in the garden but they won’t be blooming for quite a few more months).

I compromised on many ingredients and basically created my own salad recipe that was inspired by the salad in my Reader’s Digest Cook book.

I used mixed salad greens that included arugula (which was in the recipe) that I was unable to find by itself in any grocery store here. I also used strawberries instead of blueberries because I couldn’t justify paying the same price for a tiny container of blueberries when the strawberry container was huge. I used garlic sprouts instead of the alfalfa sprouts that the recipe called for. I think the garlic sprouts where a great substitution because they gave the salad a nice “zing” that I don’t think alfalfa sprouts could have achieved.

My strawberry and sprout salad turned out really well. I was a bit nervous about how the strawberries would taste in it since blueberries are a lot more sour then strawberries,  but the salad was amazing! It’s sweet, and tangy, and oh so refreshing. I felt like I was eating lunch and dessert all at the same time since the strawberries were nice and sweet. It was a great salad which I will be making again today for lunch

Here is the recipe.

Strawberry and Sprout Salad

Mixed salad greens
Garlic sprouts
Several fresh strawberries cut into small pieces

Honey mustard dressing
2-3 tbsp Olive oil
3-4 tbsp Lemon juice
About 1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
A few shakes salt
A few shakes black pepper

Add all the greens, sprouts, and cut up strawberries into a salad bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl add the olive oil, and mustard. Stir to combine. Add the lemon juice and stir well. Pour over salad. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

I was a little skeptical at first since I usually only like broccoli plain with a favorite dip.  However I was absolutely AMAZED at how wonderful the salad turned out.

Here is the recipe:

Tangy Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad
Makes one serving

Broccoli
Cauliflower
A small amount of green or white cabbage
3 green onions
About 1 tbsp light ranch dressing
About 3-4 tbsp white vinegar
A few shakes of garlic powder
A few shakes of ground black pepper
A very small amount of grated cheddar cheese

Prepare the vegetables. Add to a single serving size bowl. Toss. Drizzle over the ranch dressing, and white vinegar. Sprinkle the garlic powder, and black pepper on the top. Mix well. Top with the grated cheddar cheese. Toss. Serve.

This afternoon I was in a mood for healthy food. I decided to make some salad for lunch. I was inspired by the recipe on fellow blogger Jenn’s blog at http://eatingbender.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/%c2%a1ensalada/

This salad is unique and yummy. The many tastes and textures combine to give this salad “zing” like no other. I was so full after. As usual I morphed the recipe. Here is my version.

Romaine lettuce

Spinach

½ red pepper

Some cucumber

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 heaped tbsp low fat cottage cheese

A few shakes of ground light parmesan cheese

A small amount of grated marble cheese

2-3 tbsp medium salsa

Some sliced/slivered almonds

Prepare Vegetables. Combine all the ingredients in a medium-large sized salad dish. If desired have sections for each dressing ingredient. Toss if desired serve immediately.

I made myself a Pom-Wonderful Punch to go with my lovely salad with the juices below.

This evening I made salad for my lunch (yes lunch since I’m on my night shift time). I have been staring at the lettuce in the fridge for about a week. I bought it intending to make salad about a week ago, but the urge never hit. I think in the winter when it’s cold and snowy the last thing I want to do is eat a cool salad when I could be eating a nice warm meal. Here is my salad recipe.

A Simple Green Salad

Lettuce

Radishes

Balsamic vinegar

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese (fresh grated)

Prepare vegetables. Place in a bowl. Pour vinegar, and oil over vegetables. Then sprinkle on the spices. Toss and sprinkle on parmesan cheese. Serve.

This makes a tasty yet simple salad.