Romaine Salad with Basil and Nuts

Salad! Let me turn the page and find something else! I used to feel this way too. My mom always serves the dinner with a side of salad and I always used to have some excuse for not eating it. In fact I started eating salad only a couple of years back while dieting to lose weight. We don't have these amazing salad dressing options in India so eating salad of the same taste gets boring after a while. But it's true that a bowl of salad everyday is the secret to a healthy life.

I love eating and trying new recipes. I feel it's always good to include a healthy and simple side in my meal. I pick up pre washed leafs and low calorie dressings. I change the salad ingredients for different textures, colors, and flavors. Sometimes I add Fruits, Nuts or Proteins. Other times I change the taste of the salad just by adding a different Herb or Dressing.

When we are hungry we just feel like eating whatever is in front of us. If we start our meal with a salad it can satisfy up to 60% of our hunger, leaving little room for other food. It also fulfills the water and fiber requirements of the body. Salads are cool, crunchy, and fun to eat. I read this somewhere that the more colors you include in your meals the more nutritious it becomes. A combination of green, red and yellow looks appealing to the eyes and contains more nutrients than eating a bowl of lettuce. I never add cheese or mayo in my salad. There are loads of low calorie dressings in the market, which are healthier options.

So, let's dig in!!

Ingredients: Serves 2

• Romaine lettuce - ½ package (10 ounces) 
• Cherry or Grape Tomatoes - ½ cup, (cut in halves)
• Bell Pepper - 1/8th of medium sized each of Green, Red and Yellow, thinly sliced
• Cucumber - ½ cup, thinly sliced
• Thousand Island Dressing - 1/8 cup 
• Dried Basil - 1 teaspoon
• Black Pepper - (freshly ground and as per taste)
• Mixed Nuts and Raisins - ½ cup 

Directions:

• Mix salad greens and vegetables in a large bowl.
• Add the Nuts and Raisins.
• Sprinkle Black Pepper and Basil over salad.
• Drizzle the dressing just before serving.

Tip:

• I usually get 2-3 types of dressings and use them in rotation. Also, I add the dressing in my salad plate not in the whole bowl. This helps me to re-use the leftover salad. I put it in an airtight zip lock bag and eat it the next day for lunch. Or add it to a sandwich. 

Salad with nuts, Baked Salmon and Chicken soup.

Debarshi prepared the Salmon and soup. He came home from office and said that he wanted to cook our dinner. I just love these tasty surprises.

Recommended Reading:

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