Salad Days

Oh, happy clementines, how I love you. So sweet, so juicy, so easy to peel and eat!

Orange, green olive, red onion salad

fresh clementines or mandarin oranges, peeled and divided into sections
green olives, sliced
red onion, peeled and finely chopped
olive oil
ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

There are no set proportions of ingredients for this salad. Let your eyes be your guide! Combine first three ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Toss with a little olive oil, sprinkle with next three ingredients to taste, and toss lightly again.

The citrus season is coming to a close, but there are still a few hefty grapefruits in the store. It’s bright, tart flavor is a surprisingly good foil to creamy smooth avocado. Pair it with some nutrient-dense spinach and bit garlic and you’ve got a recipe for dynamite! 

Spinach Avocado Grapefruit Salad
Serves 2

5 ounces fresh spinach
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 grapefruit
1 avocado
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and dry the spinach. Tear large leaves into smaller pieces. In a large bowl mix the oil and garlic, add the spinach and toss well. Set aside.

Peel, seed, and section the grapefruit. Halve the avocado, and cut into 1-inch slices. In a small bowl, gently mix together the grapefruit and avocado. Add them to the bowl of spinach. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss lightly, and serve immediately.

Nutritional wisdom: Researchers have discovered substances in fruit that have unique effects on preventing aging and deterioration of the brain. Certain pectins—natural parts of the cellular makeup of fruits such as grapefruits, oranges, kiwis, and pomegranates—lower cholesterol and protect against cardiovascular disease.

Gorinstein S, Caspi A, Libman I, et al. Red grapefruit positively influences serum triglyceride level in patients suffering from coronary atherosclerosis: studies in vitro and in humans. J Agric Food Chem. 2006;54(5):1887-1892. Aviram M, Rosenblat M, Gaitini D, et al. Pomegranate juice consumption for 3 years by patients with carotid artery stenosis reduces common carotid intima-media thickness, blood pressure and LDL oxidation. Clin Nutr. 2004;23(3):423-433. Duttaroy AK, Jørgensen A. Effects of kiwi fruit consumption on platelet aggregation and plasma lipids in healthy human volunteers. Platelets 2004;15(5):287-292.

A blended salad is a mixture of raw, leafy greens and other foods blended together to make a smooth, creamy drinkable “salad.” Sometimes they are sweet-tasting (and then I like to call them green smoothies); sometimes they are savory. This morning, I had a hankering for something with a bit of kick, so I came up with this vegetable cocktail. A bit of horseradish and black pepper give it some bite.

(Side note: If you’ve never made a blended drink with green vegetables before, you may be turned off by the color. I promise you, though, one sip and you will be a convert!)

Blended V6 Salad
Serves 1

3 roma tomatoes
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
1/2 bell pepper
1 green onion
1 handful fresh spinach
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
5 ice cubes

Roughly chop the veggies and put them in a high powered blender with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Nutrition: 153 cal.; 2g fat (8.4% calories); 6g protein; 35g carbs; 10g fiber
Exchanges: 6 1/2 vegetables

Nutritional Wisdom:

Blending your salad increases the absorption of the nutrients in the vegetables. This is because plants contain a large amount of cellulose, which humans cannot break down. If we eat cellulose-rich, raw veggies (especially greens) without thoroughly masticating them, we lose much of the food value. When we simply chew a salad, about seventy to ninety percent of the cells are not broken open. As a result, most of the valuable nutrients contained within those cells never enter our bloodstream. Blending raw vegetables breaks open the cellulose and guarantees that a higher percentage of nutrients will be absorbed into our bloodstream for our bodies to use.

Blending vs. Juicing? Juicing vegetables is good, but blending them is better. With juicing, you retain many of the phytochemicals and other nutrients but lose the valuable lignans, fatty acids, and amino acids that are bound to the cell membranes. The cellulose and other plant fibers contained in blended salads are also an added benefit. Eating whole food gives you complete nutrition!