Sandy's Kitchen: Salads

Showing posts with label Salads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Salads. Show all posts
This is such a great dish to bring to your next potluck or BBQ! I substituted plain Greek yogurt for most of the mayo to lighten it up.


This healthier version is delicious and has added flavor from sliced almonds, bacon bits and cheese! 


So let's get to the recipe which is so easy because it doesn't involve cooking! No need to get your kitchen hot when summer comes around the corner. Just take 3 cups of broccoli florets in place them in a bowl. Make sure the broccoli has been washed. If you want to save time, you can purchase the broccoli florets already cut up.


Next, you will need to make the yogurt sauce which consists of yogurt, mayo, sweetener, apple cider vinegar and salt. I like to use NuNaturals NuStevia white stevia powder packets. I find they do not leave a bitter after taste, but you can use your choice of sweetener. If you are interested, I get my stevia packets on Amazon.


Get that broccoli coated!


Add the sliced almonds for added crunch!


Add  some yummy savory bacon bits that go well with the sweetened yogurt sauce.


And of course we can't forget the cheese! Stir it all up and you have a delicious quick and easy side dish!


 Skinny Broccoli Salad

 Ingredients:
3 cups broccoli florets (6 Greens)
1/4 cup 2% Fage plain Greek yogurt (1/6 Lean)
2 tbsp reduced fat mayo (2 Healthy Fats)
2 packets Nu Naturals Stevia or sweetener of choice (2 Condiments)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (1/2 Condiment)
1/4 tsp salt, optional (1 Condiment)
2 tbsp low sodium real bacon bits (2 Condiments)
1 oz sliced almonds (2 Optional Snacks)
1/3 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese (1/3 Lean)

Directions:
Place washed broccoli florets in a medium sized bowl, set aside.
In a small bowl, combine yogurt, mayo, sweetener, vinegar and salt. Stir until smooth.
Pour yogurt mixture over broccoli and stir until all combined. Add sliced almonds, bacon and cheese. Toss gently until all pieces are evenly coated. 

Makes 2 Servings
Each Serving provides:
1/4 Lean, 3 Greens, 3 Condiments, 1 Healthy Fat and 1 Optional Snack 
You still need to add 3/4 Leaner or Leanest to complete your Lean for the day.

Some examples:
4.5 oz chicken breast from the Leaner category
5.2 oz of shrimp, tilapia, 99% lean ground turkey, or 1 1/2 cup egg beaters from the Leanest category plus 1 additional Healthy Fat


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This avocado chicken salad is pretty amazing! I was a little surprised on how much I really enjoyed it. I mean come on... it's just chicken salad ... well chicken salad that is all jazzed up! We all know the combination of avocado, lime and cilantro go great together. Add some Greek yogurt instead of mayo and it makes a fabulous Lean! Serve with your favorite Greens and you have a complete Lean and Green meal. Yum! Talk about a fiesta in my mouth!

I grilled some chicken breasts and cut them into bite size pieces. Measure out 10 oz of cooked chicken. You can also use a whole rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Use the breast of the chicken with skin and bones removed.


Then I added the avocado and used my food scale to measure out 3 oz. Add cilantro, lime juice and your seasonings. Then add the Greek yogurt to give it that creamy goodness without all the fat of mayo. Enjoy!

Avocado Chicken Salad

 Ingredients:
10 oz finely diced chicken, about 2 cups but weigh for accuracy (1 2/3 Lean)
1/2 cup 2% Plain Greek yogurt (1/3 Lean)
3 oz chopped avocado (2 Healthy Fats)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (1 Condiment)
1/4 tsp salt (1 Condiment)
1/8 tsp pepper (1/2 Condiment)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp lime juice (2 Condiments)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (1/4 Condiment)

 Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Divide into 2 servings.

 2 Servings with 
1 Lean, 2.37 Condiments and 1 Healthy Fat per serving





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I really love potato salad, but potato salad is higher in carbs. How I miss potatoes, but alas ... I found another substitute. Cauliflower is an awesome alternative to potatoes and it is much lower in carbs. Cut up some florets and you are golden.

Now for the mayo? I got a substitute for you too! Plain low fat Greek yogurt! You can still have that creamy goodness of potato salad without adding only 1 or 2 tbsp of light mayo because yogurt counts as part of your Lean rather than a Healthy Fat. Add a little bit of Dijon mustard, pickles, salt, pepper, paprika, hard boiled eggs and you got a wonderful faux potato salad. The entire recipe is 1 Lean and Green but I like to split it into 3 equal portions. I mean I love potato salad, but not enough to have a big bowl as my entire meal. If you divide it into 3 portions, then you will have 1/3 Lean, 1 Green, 1 Condiment and 1/3 Snack. You would still need 2/3 Lean such as 4 oz of chicken or 4.6 oz of tilapia. Here is a chart that will help you determine how much 2/3 Lean would be:


I have this printed and posted on my fridge!


Cook your cauliflower in boiling water. I used frozen cauliflower and followed the directions on the back of the package.


Drain the cauliflower and pat dry. Cut the cauliflower into small florets or chunks. Place in a medium sized bowl.


Add two chopped pickle spears which you must deduct from your Snack for the day.


Add chopped hard boiled eggs to the mixture. You can always buy the eggs already hard boiled at the grocery store if you want to save time.


Combine the yogurt with Dijon mustard, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Then add it to the cauliflower mixture. Toss until combined.


Great for those hot BBQ grilling parties!

Cauliflower Salad

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups or 9.5 oz cauliflower, cooked from frozen (3 Greens)*
2 cooked hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped (2/3 Lean)
1/2 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt (1/3 Lean)
2 tsp Dijon mustard (2 Condiments)
1/8 tsp salt (1/2 Condiment)
1/8 tsp fresh black pepper (1/4 Condiment)
1/8 tsp paprika (1/4 Condiment)
2 pickle spears, chopped (1 Snack)

Directions:
Chop cooked cauliflower into small florets. Place in a medium sized bowl.
Add eggs and pickles.

In another small bowl, combine yogurt, dijon mustard, salt, pepper and paprika.
Add to the cauliflower mixture and toss to coat.
Refrigerate until serving.

Makes 1 Serving
Each serving provides
1 Lean, 3 Greens, 3 Condiments and 1 Optional Snack

 * If you would like to add celery, decrease the cauliflower to 1 1/4 cups and add 1/4 cup chopped celery.

You can also divide this salad into 3 equal portions as
1/3 Lean, 1 Green, 1 Condiment and 1/3 Optional Snack

 or in 2 equal portions as
1/2 Lean, 1 1/2 Greens, 1 1/2 Condiments, and 1/2 Optional Snack


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I absolutely love this dish as a quick and easy Lean and Green meal! I mean... it doesn't even require cooking so you don't have to get your kitchen hot from turning on the oven! Leave the heat outside!

Peanut flavored dressings or sauces have always been a favorite of mine, but I haven't found a great low carb one yet so what is there to do but create my own. Plus, you know never know what is really in those dressing you purchase pre-made. When you make it yourself, you can always vary the ingredients in the dressing to your own liking. For instance, if you don't like spicy, leave the crushed red pepper out! It is a great way to get your water in though!

The peanut dressing mixed with already packaged cole slaw mix is phenomenal! The cole slaw mix I used was from Wal-Mart and it is called Market Fresh Tri Color Cole Slaw mix. It has a mixture of cabbage, red cabbage and yes.... carrots. You can pick the carrots out, but there isn't much inside the bag. A cup and a half of this mix is only 5 grams of carbs! That's all your greens with only 5 grams of carbs! One serving of greens needs to be less than 5 grams of carbs. Yeah... so I left those orange tid-bits in! This will definitely be a regular menu item for me! 


Shrimp Salad with Peanut Dressing

 Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups tri-color coleslaw mix OR 1 1/2 cup shredded cabbage (3 Greens)
7 oz cooked shrimp - I had the frozen ones in the bag with... tails and shells removed defrosted (1 Leanest)

Dressing:
2 tbsp powdered peanut butter aka PB2 (1 Optional Snack)
1 1/2 tbsp water
2 tsp lite soy sauce (2/3 Condiment)
1/4 tsp ground ginger (1/2 Condiment)
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (1/4 Condiment)
1/2 packet stevia or to taste (1/2 Condiment)
2 tsp sesame oil (2 Healthy Fats)

Directions:
 Combine cole slaw mix and shrimp in a medium sized bowl.
Mix all the ingredients for the peanut dressing together in a small bowl.
Pour over shrimp and veggies.
Toss to coat. Enjoy!

Makes 1 Serving
Each serving provides
1 Leanest, 3 Greens, 2 Condiments, 2 Healthy Fats and 1 Optional Snack

 Don't care for shrimp? Use 6 oz of cooked chicken breasts and decrease the sesame oil to 1 tsp in the peanut dressing for 1 Healthy Fat.

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Before I share this recipe, I wanted to share my happy news! I lost another pound bringing me down to 145 lbs! That is the lowest weight I have been in a long time! I am getting closer and closer to goal eating recipes like this one without feeling deprived! Woo-hoo!

This is a yummy cool cauliflower salad recipe that is perfect for a Summer BBQ! It is a mixture of fresh cooked cauliflower, celery, hard boiled eggs, mayo, dijon mustard and spices that make this a delicious copycat version of traditional potato salad but without all the carbs and calories! Give this healthier version a try!


Cauliflower Salad

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cup fresh cauliflower, 
cooked and chopped (5 1/2 Greens)
1/4 cup celery, chopped* (1/2 Green)
2 hard boiled egg, chopped (2/3 Lean)
3 tbsp light mayo (2 Healthy Fats)
2 tsp dijon mustard or yellow mustard 
(2 Condiments with dijon mustard or 2/3 Condiment with yellow mustard)
1/4 tsp salt (1 Condiment)
1/4 tsp onion powder (1/2 Condiment)
1/8 tsp black pepper (1/4 Condiment)
sprinkle of paprika

Directions:
Steam cauliflower until cooked for about 5 minutes 
or until cauliflower is fork tender. 
Make sure cauliflower is still firm but fork tender. 
Rinse in cold water to cool; pat dry with paper towel until dry. 
Add the cauliflower to a bowl with celery and eggs. 
Stir in mayo, dijon mustard, salt, onion power, and pepper stirring until combined. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired. 
Chill for at least 1 hour.

Makes 2 Servings
Each serving provides
1/3 Lean, 3 Greens, less than 2 Condiments, and 1 Healthy Fat

Serve this with 2/3 Leaner or Leanest option such as 4 ounces of grilled chicken breasts or 4.6 oz shrimp

*Don't like celery? Try 1/4 cup sliced green onions in place of celery.
*Don't like eggs? Omit them and eat a full serving of protein from the Leaner or Leanest category (add 1 more healthy fat).

Click Here to Print

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If you want something other than meat for your lean and green, this would be perfect. Your lean is entirely made up of fresh mozzarella. I could eat this stuff all day! I found my mozzarella at Wally World (Wal-mart) right next to the cream cheese. I thought it would be difficult to find fresh mozzarella that was less than 6 grams of fat per oz, but it wasn't. This sure was mighty tasty! I still have some cheese left over so I am going to shred the rest and put it on my cauliflower pizza crusts I have stored in the freezer. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have!


Caprese Salad
Slightly adapted from Larry Gordon

Ingredients:
4 oz fresh mozzarella between 3 to 6 g fat per oz, cubed  (1 Lean)
1 cup (30 g) baby spinach (1 Green)
1 cup (180 g) Roma or heirloom tomatoes, sliced (2 Greens)
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil (1/4 Condiment)
1/8 tsp salt (1/2 Condiment)
1/8 tsp pepper (1/4 Condiment)
2 tbsp Walden Farms Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing or Skinny Girl Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (1 Condiment)

Directions:
Place spinach on a plate. Then layer the tomatoes over spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Add mozzarella on top of the tomatoes. Drizzle dressing over tomatoes and cheese. Top with fresh chopped basil. Enjoy!

Makes 1 Serving
1 Lean, 3 Greens, and 2 Condiments

Click Here to Print


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