I know its October, but with the fluctuating temperatures, my cravings are equally inconsistent. So I’m going to talk salad. Sounds boring right, but I promise these are anything but. If you’ve already fully embraced Fall (isn’t it the best!) then you can make any one of these as a starter, followed by your pumpkin soup for main. Whatever the weather, salad has a place. Endless variety and the easiest way to incorporate whole nutrient dense foods into your diet. Packed with fiber – such an important component of weight loss – you wont risk piling on the pounds during the colder months. If you cant say you love salads, then its because you’re not making them interesting enough. Here are some of my favorites for you to recreate!
Chili citrus crab
Great as a light lunch or appetizer. Fresh and vibrant, it is wonderful as a starter for a dinner party – and super easy for the host to create! Everyone enjoys crab and it gets some points for nutrition too. A lower mercury fish high in selenium, which acts as an antioxidant and helps to regulate thyroid hormone – essential for preventing disease and stabilizing a healthy weight. So you wont just be benefiting from the protein & omega 3!
Ingredients (Serves 4):
8oz canned lump crab (or fresh jumbo lump for a special occasion)
Mix;
3 tbsp orange, squeezed
1 tbsp lime, squeezed
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or sub for 2 cloves, minced)
1 tsp fresh ground red chili paste (I use Sambal Oelek, or sub for finely chopped jalapeno)
1 tbsp maple syrup
Salt & pepper
Dress the crab with the above ingredients and keep the remaining dressing for the greens.
Make a simple salad using your favorite leaves (I like organic spring mix), baby heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, radish and red onion. Melon also works well for some additional sweetness. Fill up half an avocado with the crab, place in a pretty position and garnish with chili flakes.
Endive salmon salad with a red wine vinaigrette
Crisp and refreshing sums up this salad, and although summer days inspired this recipe, its too good not to make every season. Free from nightshades, it’s the ultimate anti-inflammatory lunch!
Ingredients (Serves 4):
Skinless & boneless wild caught canned salmon (I use wild planet foods)
Mix;
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Drizzle of maple syrup
Make the salad using endive, cucumber, radish, pecans, pumpkin seeds, avocado and low sodium hearts of palm. Season the salmon with salt & pepper and mix with lemon juice and spring onion. Find your brightest bowl and share with your favorite people.
Sockeye salmon topped Greek with avocado
Literally my favorite lunch. I pan sear a larger piece (around 8oz) of salmon the night before (in avocado oil for 4 minutes each side) and save half for this wonderfully colorful plate. I choose bright red sockeye because it contains the highest amount of dietary astaxanthin – one of the most potent antioxidant & anti-inflammatories. The pigment is naturally found in algae, which is why there is a very big difference in color between wild caught and farmed. Healthy fats help absorption, so I’ve included some extra virgin olive oil and avocado.
Ingredients (Serves 1):
Wild caught sockeye salmon (left overs :))
Mix;
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp orange, squeezed
1/4 tsp oregano
Make a Greek style salad with tomatoes (organic Roma work well), cucumber, spring or red onion, crumbled feta and Kalamata olives. Since I have always suffered with problematic skin I like to add hydrating and detoxifying radish for some vitamin C and zinc, essential nutrients for building collagen and combatting acne. Anti-aging radish also provides the antioxidant beta-carotene, which is a plant pigment (found in red and orange fruits and vegetables) that converts to Vitamin A – the best nutrient to target the deeper layers and promote healthy cell turnover. I also include high fiber chick peas for Vitamin B6, resistant starch and folate. These nutrients help to create the feel good hormone serotonin, slow down the absorption of carbohydrates and support a healthy pre-natal program. Cover an avocado half with hemp seeds for additional omega 3 and protein.
Asian pear & beet with an orange ginger dressing
Since I love everything about Asian cuisine, I was excited to try an Asian pear when I discovered them at Wholefoods. Firm, crisp and aromatic, the unassuming pale fruit make the perfect pairing for sweet beets. A wonderful source of fiber, potassium and copper, adding these to your bowl may improve your digestion, blood pressure and immune system.
Ingredients (Serves 1):
1 Asian pear
3 small cooked beets (I use Love Beets)
Mix;
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp orange juice, squeezed
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
A drizzle of maple syrup
A splash of sesame oil
Chili flakes, to taste
What else? Spinach (go organic as it’s on the ‘dirty’ dozen list), grated carrot, diced avocado, cucumber slices, crumbled feta (goat will also work) and slivered almonds. This will be a ‘go to’ when you want to impress!
Strawberry & poppy seed with a maple-mustard apple cider vinaigrette
Thankfully this salad tastes as good as it looks. I’d never have thought of adding strawberries to a salad. Ever. Fast forward a few years living in America and more often than not there is fruit lurking in my lunch. The salads here are definitely more exciting than in England – at least I see more ingredient pairings that really shouldn’t work, but somehow do. And when your aim is balance and variety, the best way to achieve this is from experimenting and taking risks. The result is a bigger repertoire of recipes and in turn an easier and healthier life!
This salad is a little unconventional with the addition of artichoke and olives, but I like their natural saltiness as well as the extra fiber and vitamin E, which acts as a powerful antioxidant (anything to help my skin!). I often add a sprinkle of seeds to my meals because they provide texture and a ton of nutrients without compromising on taste. Most of the fats in poppy seeds come from omega 6 – yes, we need this one too! Like omega 3, omega 6 is essential for normal growth and development. It also plays a role in metabolism and supports brain, heart and reproductive health. Most people consume too much of this fat because it is found in vegetable oils, which are commonly used in processed foods. Alongside a low intake of omega three (the desired ratio is 4:1 – or better!) high consumption of unhealthy oils (hi there canola), meat, bread and cereals can cause inflammation and suppress the immune system. If you predominantly eat ‘whole foods’, have 2 to 3 servings of fish per week, take a good quality supplement and opt for oils such as flax seed, olive, avocado and coconut you will likely maintain a healthy ratio. Poppy seeds are surprisingly beneficial for bone health, offering good amounts of both calcium and magnesium. If you thought this salad couldn’t get any better for your health (don’t get me started on the avo!), apple cider vinegar improves insulin sensitivity and lowers blood sugar, making it a great choice if you are trying to shift some tummy weight.
Ingredients (Serves 1):
1 cup strawberries, halved
1 small avocado, peeled, pitted & sliced
1 tbsp poppy seed
7 Kalamata olives, halved
4 pieces of artichoke (canned, low sodium)
Mix;
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper
This is such a vibrant bowl! Salads are a great way of increasing your intake of fruit, so don’t just stop at avocado and strawberries. Mango is up next!
Mango & peanut salad
I guarantee even the haters will love this one! I wasn’t aware of the obsession people have with peanut butter until I joined Instagram! PB everything (literally). I do like to grab a handful of dry roasted unsalted as a quick snack when I’m low on energy, but I’m not really into nut butters. Unlike the rest of the population, I didn’t gorge on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as a child! But who doesn’t enjoy a satay sauce right? What is clear is that peanuts are both convenient and versatile and have a well deserved place in the pantry.
As soon as it became apparent that the fats in nuts are in fact healthy this gave everyone permission to indulge guilt free. And prompted the PB boom! I recommend eating a variety of nuts because all of them provide different amounts of essential nutrients. For example, walnuts are the best nut source of omega 3, whereas peanuts don’t contain any, but instead are a better source of protein. All nuts provide the B vitamins, in particular niacin (Vitamin B3) and biotin (Vitamin B7), which are important for metabolizing macros and maintaining healthy hair, skin and nails. There is so much to be said for nuts and their role in health and managing weight so don’t be disheartened by the high calories. Make sure you are buying raw without any fillers and honestly, you shouldn’t be counting! As much as I am not an advocate for keto, I eat high fat foods in abundance (you’d be shocked!), but there is no convincing me to give up carbs. And I don’t need to. Choosing the right ones is important, for sure; so is having a healthy relationship with food and ALL of the major food groups. But that’s me. I don’t believe in restriction. I find ways to avoid it because its just not sustainable, but luckily, adopting healthy (and enjoyable) habits is definitely doable.
Ingredients (Serves 2):
Mix;
2 tbsp peanut butter (just peanuts, no additives)
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp pure sesame oil (unrefined)
1 tsp gluten free soy sauce
1/8 tsp garlic powder (or one small fresh clove)
1/4 tsp chili flakes (or sub for fresh jalapeno, minced)
Serve with your choice of salad greens, bite-size squares of mango, shredded red cabbage, diced bell pepper, cilantro leaves and hunks of avocado. Finish with a scattering of unsalted dry roasted peanuts and cucumber slices. This is a bowl that pops!
As much as I enjoy writing about specific foods and their health benefits, one thing becomes very obvious; all foods that are in their natural state provide an array of nutrients needed for a healthy body and prevention of disease. There are really only four rules you need to follow; 1) The majority of your plate should be made up of food that grows 2) You should see a combination of colors 3) If you don’t recognize an ingredient on a label you should not eat it 4) No need to count calories (or macros) when you eat fruit, vegetables, unrefined grains, nuts, seeds, pulses and sensible serving sizes of organic/grass fed/wild caught meat and fish (think ‘condi-meat’ as quoted by the amazing Dr Mark Hyman). The key is to make these foods taste good. And when you get that bit right, healthy eating becomes a much loved hobby.
Which one will you make first?
enjoy!
