Food, Health, Healthy Eating, Living Naturally, Ranch Life, Ranch Life, Thyme Out

Don’t you just love to have a salad that is not only quick and easy to throw together but amazing to your taste buds? Well, these are my top 5 favs. I think you will like them as well and the dressings will add an extra punch to each one!

Spinach-Strawberry Salad

• 2 10 oz bags of washed spinach, torn into pieces
• 4 Cups sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
• A handful of feta or mozzarella cheese
• optional: 3/4 red onion, finely chopped, and/or 1 can of black beans rinsed well

Toss together and add the Strawberry-Poppy Seed Dressing, serves 8-12

Southwest Salad

• 1 head of green leaf lettuce, washed and torn
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 red and yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1 cup organic corn kernels
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed well
• 1 Fresh lime, squeezed
• 1 cup fresh parmesan cheese or cheddar
• Optional: Cooked, chopped chicken breast

Put corn in a strainer and dip the strainer in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Cool Toss all ingredients together, and serve immediately with Avacodo Dressing, and lime juice serves 8-12

A little note: We have since cut way back on eating peppers, tomatoes, and corn due to many health issues that these veggies can cause over time and how they digest in the system. But for special occasions and limited in our diet, we do have them now and again. It is hard to believe something so good can be harmful.

Simple Salad

• 1 large head of favorite lettuce mix, we love the spring greens
• 2 handfuls spinach
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 3 radishes, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
• 1 tsp. dried dandelion leaf
• 1 tsp. dried goldenseal
• 1/2 cup sprouts, seeds like pumpkin, or pine nuts
• 1/2 cup feta cheese or mozzarella
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• Optional: 1 can chickpeas or kidney beans
• Optional: Dried kale, (put a bunch of kale on a cookie sheet drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper and back for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes a wonderful topping)

Toss together and drizzle your favorite olive oil and vinaigrette with fresh lemon juice. Don’t forget to top with the fresh-baked Kale.

Cabbage Salad

• 1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded
• 1 1/2 cup grapes, halved
• 2 cans drained mandarin oranges
• 1 Cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup almonds sliced or chopped
• Optional: 1/2 cup Chinese crunchy noodles, 1/2 cup craisins

Toss together along with any vinaigrette. I recommend the Asian Ginger Dressing.

Craisin Salad

• 1 head red leaf lettuce
• 2 heads butter lettuce (love this stuff)
• 1 large can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 cup craisins
• 1 cup organic mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 Tbsp organic butter
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 can organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Saute almonds over medium heat in butter and maple syrup, stirring constantly until light brown. Set aside. Toss all remaining ingredients together. Add nuts and favorite dressing. Serves 6-8

Brussel Sprout Salad

For the Brussel sprouts:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil or Avocado oil

• 1 pound of Brussel sprouts cut in half

• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced and diced

For candied almonds or walnuts:

• 2/3 cup of almonds

• 1 tbsp. of our maple syrup

• sea salt to taste

For the Salad:

• 5 oz. of spring greens mix

• 1 cucumber diced

• 1 cup blueberries

• 1 cup of grapes

• 1/2 cup feta cheese (or if you have a fussy cowboy like me, cheddar grated)

• 1/2 cup dried craisens

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the Brussel sprouts and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes stirring a few times. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
2. Place almonds in skillet along with maple syrup and a pinch of salt. cook over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and cool.
3. In large bowl mix greens everything together.
4. Best vinaigrette to pour over the top or serve on the side.

If you don’t have fresh herbs, I highly recommend going to Starwest…the links I have on the herbs. You never have to worry about quality or sitting on a store shelf. All the natural goodness in one place!

I hope you enjoy these amazing side salads! Great for the good ol’ waistline too!

Love deeper, talk sweeter,

Lee