Salad Days

Now that finals are here, I’ve simplified our meals. Anything that takes more than 20 minutes to prepare (about the time it would take to make a run to the teriyaki place for takeout) is out. That means an increasing reliance on salads, of course!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I decided to compile my first mini-salad collection. (I hesitate to call it an eBook, because it only has seven recipes in it.) If you’re pressed for time like I am, or simply don’t like spending any of it in the kitchen, I think you’ll really appreciate these healthy recipes.

Pair any of these juicy combos with a basket of warmed tortilla chips and you’ve got a smashing Cinco de Mayo inspired dinner! Invite some friends, whip up a batch of margaritas (recipe included), break out the sombreros, and you’ve got a party!

Recipes included:

• Cucumber, Mango, and Black Bean Salad
  Crunchy, sweet, and earthy…oh-la-la! Eat it right from the bowl or pack it with you on your next hike.
• Tomato Salad with Guacamole Dressing
  This avocado-based dressing is heart healthy AND tasty. It’s great on a salad or as a dip.
• Jicama-Melon Salad
  Jicama is the most AMAZING vegetable. It’s a little sweet and very crunchy. Like tofu, it soaks up the flavors of whatever you put on it. If you’ve never tried it, this is a good first introduction.
• Mexican Bulgar Salad with Citrus-Jalapeno Vinaigrette
  This recipe takes a little longer to make than the other three. It’s so good though, that I didn’t want you to miss out. Double the recipe for a potluck and you still won’t come home with any left over.
• Mexican-Inspired S’mores
  A sinful bonus, because you’ve been so good about eating your salads!
• Ultimate Margaritas
  Because no Mexican feast is complete without tequila, and I hate to see anyone drinking margarita mix when the real thing is SO easy to whip up!

Special bonus: The collection also includes a shopping list, just in case you need one!

The recipes are available as a digital download in PDF format. That’s so you can save them, print them, spill on them, and print them again! Just click the donate button below.

Note: To access the collection, I am asking you to make a small donation (a dollar or two at most). I will pass on 100% of the proceeds (i.e. whatever is left after PayPal takes its fee) to Food Lifeline – a nonprofit that provides nutritious food to hungry people in Washington through its network of food banks, meal programs, and shelters. There’s no minimum donation amount, but consider that Food Lifeline really knows how to stretch a buck – for every dollar that is donated, they provide FIVE meals. Wow!

I also understand money is tight for many people, so if you are unable (or simply uninterested) in making a donation, please and I will send you the link to the recipe collection, no questions asked.

I’ve been a fan of the Moosewood Restaurant’s low-fat cookbook for years. It has all sorts of crazy concoctions, things I’d never dream up on my own. Every recipe in there has turned out really well, though, so I keep going back to it.

Last night Nick and I had two dishes out of the cookbook for dinner - a Moroccan carrot-orange salad and sauteed spinach & chickpeas with a yogurt-mint sauce. It was just the right thing to eat while soaking up the spring sunshine on our front porch. We didn’t finish the salad, so this afternoon I tossed what was leftover with some mixed spring greens, sunflower seeds, and a quarter of a chopped avocado for good measure. Oh-la-la!

If you’re inspired, give it a try!

Moroccan Carrot-Orange Salad
Inspired by the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

2-3 carrots, peeled and grated (I used a mandolin to make little shreds)
2 oranges, sectioned
Dressing: whisk together about a tablespoon each of lemon juice and honey + a pinch of cinnamon

Combine the carrots and oranges and toss with the dressing to taste.

If you don’t know how to section an orange, this video from cooking.com will be helpful. Sectioning an orange starts around 1 minute 15 seconds.

Nutritional Wisdom

Root vegetables, such as beets and carrots, are packed with fiber and powerful antioxidants, like cartonoids and betacyanin, which protect against cancer by inhibiting cell mutations. (They’re also cheap - perfect for shopping on a budget.)

Oranges aren’t half bad either. Certain pectins - the natural parts of the cellular makeup of fruits such as oranges, kiwis, and pomegranates - help lower cholesterol and protect against cardiovascular disease.