Salads Beyond Lettuce & Tomato - Brief Article - Review

If your salads tend to start with lettuce and stop with tomatoes, here are a few ideas to expand your repertoire. They've all been adapted from www.epicurious.com, a Web site that contains more than 12,000 recipes from the pages of Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines (many of which would make our pages curl).

Broccoli and Cherry
Tomato Salad

4 cups broccoli florets

1 pint basket cherry tomatoes,
  halved (about 2 cups)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. dried oregano

Steam the broccoli until just crisp-tender, about three minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool. Add the tomatoes. Place the mustard in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the vinegar, then the oil. Mix in the oregano. Add to the salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill. Can be made up to six hours ahead. Serves 6.

PER SERVING (recipe made using 1/2 tsp. salt)
Calories: 50              Sodium: 260 mg
Total Fat: 3 grams        Cholesterol: 0 mg
Saturated Fat: 0 grams    Carbohydrate: 6 grams
Fiber: 3 grams            Protein: 2 grams
Sweet Potato Salad with
Chili-Lime Dressing

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
  and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium-size red bell pepper,
  seeded and cut into 1/4-inch chunks
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Place the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. to a boil and cook until just tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing: whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and cilantro in a small bowl. Add the red bell pepper and scallions to the drained potatoes and toss with the dressing. Add the salt and pepper. Serve warm or refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving. Serves 6.

PER SERVING
Calories: 260            Sodium: 420 mg
Total Fat: 10 grams      Cholesterol: 0 mg
Saturated Fat: 2 grams   Carbohydrate: 41 grams
Fiber: 4 grams           Protein: 3 grams
Wheat Berry
Waldorf Salad

4 cups water
1 cup wheat berries
1 Gala or McIntosh apple
1 Granny Smith apple
2 Tbs. walnuts, toasted and
  chopped
1 celery rib, sliced thin
2/3 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 scallions, chopped
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
3 Tbs. fresh orange juice
3/4 tsp. freshly grated orange zest

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil and add the wheat berries. Simmer, covered, 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Drain the wheat berries in a colander and cool to room temperature. Cut the apples into 1/2-inch chunks and toss them with the wheat berries and all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.

PER SERVING (recipe made using 1/2 tsp. salt)
Calories: 200             Sodium: 300 mg
Total Fat: 3 grams        Cholesterol: 0 mg
Saturated Fat: 0 grams    Carbohydrate: 45 grams
Fiber: 6 grams            Protein: 4 grams
Garbanzo Bean Salad

2 16-0unce cans garbanzo beans
  (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. fresh cilantro,
  chopped
1 4-ounce can chopped mild green
  chilies
1/4 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. turmeric

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Can be made up to six hours ahead. Serves 6.

PER SERVING (recipe made using 1/2 tsp. salt)

Calories: 200                Sodium: 400 mg
Total Fat: 8 grams           Cholesterol: 0 mg
Saturated Fat: 1 gram        Carbohydrate: 27 grams
Fiber: 9 grams               Protein: 7 grams

COPYRIGHT 2001 Center for Science in the Public Interest
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group