When I work, I walk more, not only in my building but to commute back and forth and to run errands… And even though I have kept my morning walks like clockwork, it’s not the same… Oh well I guess it’s time to change my eating habits, before my pants get too tight! and what better way to do this than by eating more of my favorite salads.
Guess what? I’m sharing some of my favorite recipes with you. Since, I have a sweet tooth, one thing I like to do is to add fruit to my salad… don’t look at me as I am from another world… this is just a great way to eat fruit too, especially if you are like me...I don’t eat enough fruit servings… I would go for the candy bar instead of an apple any day😀😄
For My Everything Salad (this is my lunch most of the days), you will need:
A box of Spring mixed Lettuce
Grape tomatoes
Chickpeas from a can, to add extra protein and crunch
1 red delicious Apple cut in pieces, if there’s no apple you can substitute for fresh pineapple, or strawberries in the last case I don’t put tomatoes)
Green olives or pickled cucumbers
Roasted chicken breast cut in cubes
Salt, Pepper, EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar
I keep my dressing very simple, I don’t use commercial dressings, I don’t need all that creamy stuff/junk any way, all I use is extra virgin olive oil, lemon (if your protein is fish) or balsamic vinegar (for chicken or turkey), salt and black pepper.
I usually dress up the salad first, heat up the chicken for like 2 minutes in the microwave, so that it’s not cold but warm and add it in the end. If you don’t have chicken in the house,you can use turkey (cold cuts).
The best match for this beautiful salad is a Sauvignon Blanc from Yllera Sauvignon Blanc 2019 $15 or Boada Verdejo 2019 $10 (both from Rueda, Spain). What did you think that I was going to stop drinking wine, to lose weight? I think I’d rather fast every other day (i.e. intermittent fasting).
My second favorite salad is Baby Spinach and Sweet Pumpkin, and it has only 3 ingredients:
Baby Spinach or Arugula (if you are like me and like some bitterness on your greens, arugula can also work).
Roasted Kabocha Pumpkin or Roasted Korean Sweet Potatoes
2 Hard cooked eggs
Salt, Pepper, EVOO, Balsamic Vinegar
I cut the Kabocha pumpkin in cubes and I roast it in the oven with salt, pepper a bit of fresh dill and extra virgin olive oil). If you are using the Korean sweet potatoes, I cooked them wrapped in aluminum foil as you would any baked potato, once they are done you can wait until they cool down to cut them in cubes.
For protein, you can do chicken here too, but I’d prefer hard cooked eggs, cut in fine slices. Once again the dressing is the same, extra virgin olive oil, with balsamic vinegar, salt and black pepper. My secret here is that I serve the squash or sweet potatoes warm, so I put them in the microwave for 1 minute before finishing the salad.
The best match for this salad will be a Gewurztraminer, like the Elena Walsh AA Gewurztraminer V Kastelaz 2018. $30 (Alto Adige, Italy) or Domaine Fernand Engel Gewurztraminer Reserve 2018 $15 (Alsace, France).
Argentinean Waldorf Salad
5 Beets (boiled and cut in cubes)
2 Green Apples
Walnuts (a bunch chopped)
Salt, Pepper, Light mayonnaise
This salad is one of the few I eat with mayonnaise, it’s my mother’s version of Waldorf. Most Waldorf’s recipes use celery instead of beets, but in my family we like it like this! It was a staple in all our holiday celebrations, especially for New Year’s eve, when it’s summer in Argentina.
I would match this with a rosé like Erath Winery Pinot Noir Rose 2018 $15 (Oregon, US) or Piedra Negra Rosado 2019 $12 (made from Pinot Gris, in Mendoza, Argentina)
I hope you will give my salads a try! until the next one, cheers! Silvina.
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#thoughtsoflawina #WineWednesday #wineandsalads #summerwines #erathrose #piedranegrarose #Elenawalsh #DomaineFernandengel #Yllerasauvignonblanc #Boadaverdejo.
