Creative Ways to Build a RESTART®-Friendly Salad

Summer is almost here and the farmer’s markets, CSAs and your own gardens will be producing a ton of fresh vegetables that are ripe and ready for a summertime favorite – SALAD!  Building a salad might feel daunting and if you’re not sure that you have all the ingredients for a recipe, it’s time to wing it! So look in your fridge and see what colorful vegetables, quality protein and healthy fats you have on hand. And let’s get started! 

RESTART® Instructor and The RESTART® Cookbook contributor, Kariman Pierce, came up with this guide/template to make it easy to create a salad when you can’t decide what to use, or if you have a just a few things in your refrigerator.  We added a few other ideas, too!

The idea here is to be creative, think “outside the box” and discover new taste combinations.

Create a Salad

Start with your vegetables and build a good base.  In the picture above, you can see some roasted Brussels sprouts on the edge of the greens plate. That’s a great place to start. Then add some colorful vegetables. 

Vegetables

• Greens (green leaf, red leaf, romaine, spinach, arugula etc.)
• Fresh herbs-mint, basil, rosemary etc.
• Carrots 
• Cucumbers 
• Celery
• Tomatoes
• Radishes
• Bell peppers
• Sprouts
• Roasted Root Vegetables – beet, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, celery root
• Roasted summer squash, zucchini or cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli or Brussels sprouts
• These are just a few ideas – use whatever is fresh, available and your favorites!

Add some quality protein. We’re showing hard-boiled eggs, lamb meatballs, and sardines. 

Proteins

• Hard-boiled eggs
• Chicken, Beef, Pork, Fish – shredded, ground or chopped
• Bacon
• Sardines

Then go for some good fats! A small handful of nuts, avocado and/or a nice simple vinaigrette of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and sea salt add flavor and crunch. 

Good Fats & Toppings

• Avocado
• Raw or Dry Roasted Nuts & Seeds – pistachios, pecans, slivered almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds
• Sauerkraut
• Homemade vinaigrette. A great simple one is 2-3 parts olive oil, 1 part lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, 1 clove freshly minced garlic and a pinch of salt, basically to taste.

Here are the directions for easy accessibility!

How to Create a Salad

1. Prep 2 large handfuls (per person) of greens and place in medium or large size bowl.
2. Choose 2-4 raw vegetables, chop to the desired size and add to bowl.
3. Choose 1-2 soft or cooked vegetables (hint, root vegetables or avocado?).
4. Choose a protein and add.
5. Choose any other ingredients for texture, color and flavor.
6. Toss with salad dressing and enjoy!

Hope this is helpful for you and your family! To find more great RESTART® friendly recipes, check out The RESTART® Cookbook on Amazon and Amazon Kindle. 

Category: Recipe