Salad Days

Normally salads are a smart nutritional choice – packed with health-promoting nutrients that make us feel good and satisfied. Many times, though, salads can be packed with more calories, salt, and fat than your average cheeseburger. Yuck!

Full-out divorce isn’t the answer. After all, salads full of colorful vegetables are our best defense against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses caused by an excessively rich diet. Here, then are four of the most caloric, unhealthy salads and suggestions for transforming them into health-promoting power houses.

Caesar Salad

What’s bad: In theory, a Caesar could be good for you – full of romaine, garlic, anchovies and lemon juice. In practice, the salad is often swimming in heavy dressing, covered with a mountain of Parmesan and croutons. Just one serving of Caesar dressing is up to 1,274 calories. Yikes!

Make it healthy at home: Go light on the croutons or eliminate them all together – white bread, olive oil, and salty seasoning contain virtually no micronutrients, adding nothing but empty calories. Try finely chopped almonds instead of Parmesan. (Trust me, this is actually really good!) Nuts – and almonds in particular – are some of the most beneficial foods for decreasing heart disease risk. A 2009 meta-analysis confirmed that daily almond consumption is associated with a 7 mg/dL decrease in total cholesterol.¹ In addition, almonds contain vitamin E and a large and varied collection of phenol antioxidants. Finally, try a dressing upgrade. This vegan version - based on a recipe in Veganomicon - contains only 33 calories and 6 mg of sodium per tablespoon. The tofu gives it a protein and fiber boost, as well.

Caesar Dressing
Yield: approximately 1 cup

3/4 pound silken tofu
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp capers
4 tsp caper brine
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp mustard powder
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Combine the tofu, olive oil, and lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine.

Taco Salad

What’s Bad: Where do I start? The fried tortilla shell? The piles of greasy meat, cheese, and sour cream? A taco salad from Taco Bell can range from 770-910 calories and is a sodium bomb.

Make it healthy at home: It is so easy to make a guiltless version of this salad at home. By substituting savory, spiced beans for meat you lose all that saturated fat and gain weight-loss promoting, cancer protection.² This version was adapted from Vegan on the Cheap:

Taco Salad
Serves 4

1 ½ cups cooked pinto beans (1 can, rinsed and drained)
1 ½ cups cooked black beans (1 can, rinsed and drained)
1 cup tomatoes, diced
½ jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp onion, finely chopped
1 ½ tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 tsp chili powder
tortilla chips, optional
8 cups shredded lettuce
Optional toppings: pitted black olives, canned chopped mild or hot green chilis, shredded cheese, guacamole

In a sauce pan, combine the beans, tomato, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, and chili powder. Use a fork or potato masher to mush everything together. Cook over medium heat until heated through.

To serve, divide a small portion of tortilla chips among plates or shallow bowls. Top with lettuce and bean mixture. Pass the desired toppings at the table.

Cobb Salad

What’s bad: Calorie-dense ingredients like bacon, blue cheese and ranch dressing put this salad over the top when it comes to calories and fat.

Make it healthy at home: Keep portions under control by limiting your toppings to 1 tablespoon (total) per cup of greens and make this satisfying, yet healthy, creamy dressing:

Ranch Dressing

6 ounces silken tofu
3 dates, pitted and chopped
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 dash cayenne pepper, optional

Place tofu, dates, garlic, water, lemon juice, and soy sauce in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. You want little green flecks to remain!

Chicken or Tuna Salad

What’s bad: Mayo, mayo, mayo.

Make it healthy at home: Best to eliminate the mayo. One idea: Mix drained tuna with a few splashes of light dressing (e.g. one of the ones above or Italian) and some chopped celery and tomatoes. If you simply must have the creamy goodness, try Vegenaise made without eggs, sugar, corn syrup or preservatives. Alternately, you could make the meat-free version on this web-site which is packed full of crunchy veggie and nut goodness.

Resources:

¹ Phung OJ, Makanji SS, White CM, Coleman CI. Almonds have a neutral effect on serum lipid profiles: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 May;109(5):865-73.

² Bazzano LA, Thompson AM, Tees MT, et al. Non-soy legume consumption lowers cholesterol levels: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2009 Nov 23. [Epub ahead of print]

Aune D, De Stefani E, Ronco A, et al. Legume intake and the risk of cancer: a multisite case-control study in Uruguay. Cancer Causes Control. 2009 Nov;20(9):1605-15.

After last week’s Indian-spiced ragu, I’ve been seriously hankering for more Indian food - dal to be exact. Ruta Kahate’s book, 5 Spices, 50 Dishes, seemed like a great place to find an easy, flavorful recipe. The dishes turned out so well, that this cookbook is now on the top of my list to buy.

These recipes are slightly modified from the ones in the book (reducing the amount of oil and salt, substituting Earth Balance for the butter, modifying the dal cooking technique, etc.). The results were outstanding. The dal was creamy and flavorful without being overwhelmingly spicy! The beets had just a hint of mustard. Together they made a divine dinner.

If the beets are pre-cooked, you can throw this together in less than 40 minutes. Start with the dal. Once the split peas are cooking and you’ve prepped the onion add-in, chop the ingredients for the beets. When the split peas are done, add the onion mixture. Wipe the pan clean and use it to finish off the beets. 

Everyday yellow dal
Serves 4

Combine 1 cup yellow split peas, 3 cups water, and 1 large tomato (about 8 ounces, cut into wedges) in a medium sauce pan. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until the peas are tender. Pick out any tomato skins and whisk the dal to emulsify it. Keep warm.

Heat 2 tbsp oil over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add ½ tsp cumin seeds, covering the pan with a lid or spatter screen. After the seeds have stopped sputtering, add 1 medium onion (chopped) and 5 cloves garlic (sliced), sautéing over medium heat until brown. Add 1 tsp ground coriander, ¾ tsp turmeric, and ½ tsp cayenne, stir, and pour the onion mixture over the dal. Add ¼ cup minced cilantro, 1 tbsp Earth Balance or butter, and a pinch salt (optional) to the dal and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Sautéed beets with mustard and lemon juice
Serves 4

Cook, peel, and quarter 2 lbs beets. Heat 2 tbsp oil over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add ½ tsp mustard seeds, covering the pan with a lid or spatter screen. When the seeds have stopped sputtering, add two small Serrano chilies (sliced into ¼-inch rounds) and give a quick stir. Add the beets and a pinch of salt (optional). Toss, cover, and simmer over low for 6-8 minutes until the flavors have blended. Place beets in a serving dish and toss with 1 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro.

Shopping at the farmers’ market is special for the way it connects different generations and people with different backgrounds. Yesterday, I was picking through a box of green beans next to a stern Italian grandmother. We got to talking about what we were going to make with our bounty. She cracked a smile and gave me a nod of approval when I mentioned that I was going to serve them in a potato-pasta dish with a creamy, basil-infused lemon sauce. For her, it was a classic dish, for me it was the discovery of something divine. I wonder what she would have thought if I confessed that my version would be made without any dairy or processed oils.

This recipe is modified slightly from the one found in Vegan on the Cheap. If you still haven’t picked up a copy of this book, what are you waiting for?

Pasta with Potatoes, Green Beans, and Lemon-Basil Cream
Serves 4

1 pound waxy potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces fusilli or other small pasta
1/2 cup cashews
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried onion
1 1/4 cups plain, unsweetened soy milk

Steam potatoes for 5 minutes. Add the green beans and steam for 3-5 minutes more until everything is just tender. Strain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, grind the cashews to a powder in the blender. Add the garlic, water, lemon juice, zest, yeast, 1 tablespoon of the basil, onion, and soy milk. Blend until smooth. Taste and add salt if you think it needs it.

When the pasta is done, drain it and combine it in a big bowl with the potatoes and green beans. Add the sauce and remaining basil and toss gently to combine. Serve hot along side a crisp green salad.