It has become a mantra that I keep repeating to my friends and family who complain about the pounds they gained over the holidays and snowy months: spring is the perfect time to get healthy for so many reasons.
The weather is warmer, creating many more opportunities for easy exercise. At long last, fresh fruits and vegetables are starting to come into season. If you are lucky enough to be able to grow a garden, you get to enjoy the freshest produce available, but even for those of us who have to get our produce at the store, fruits and vegetables just start to taste better. Plus, there’s something so much more refreshing and invigorating about eating a salad out in the sun with a cool beverage.
So, in honor of spring and all the fantastic things that come with it, here are five wonderful and easy recipes for spring salads. They all take just a few ingredients and a couple minutes to toss together.
Caprese Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
4 to 6 cups salad greens
2 cups mixed berries
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup mozzarella cheese
3 to 4 basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons
1 cup halved pecans
For the dressing:
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
In a large bowl, mix together all the salad ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dressing. Add the dressing and enjoy.
The simplest version of this just takes mozzarella cheese, tomato, basil, olive oil, vinegar and a little salt and pepper. The best thing about it, though, is that it can be made in many variations with simple additions or changes. Adding some avocado is one way to put a burst of flavor into this salad. Another version adds berries, pecans and leafy greens.
Simple Pasta Salad
Ingredients
About half of a box of pasta of your choice (penne or mini shells work well)
½ cup of sliced black olives
½ cup of sliced green olives
½ cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
Handful each of pepperoncini peppers and jarred sliced jalapenos
Cheese of your choice (some good choices are goat cheese, parmesan and feta)
Italian dressing
Salt and pepper
Mix all the ingredients and enjoy.
Because not everyone enjoys green salads all the time, this is a slightly different take on a salad, but by no means less refreshing. This recipe is easy to switch up and the ratios depend on your specific taste.
Garbanzo Bean Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 diced red onion
½ cup feta cheese
½ cup cherry tomatoes
For the dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Dice the red onion, halve the cherry tomatoes and chop the parsley. Combine the garbanzo beans, onion, feta cheese and cherry tomatoes. In a separate bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and enjoy.
It is easy to procure the ingredients and about as easy to put together, courtesy of Sprouts Market. This garbanzo bean salad is still really healthy but appealing for those people who don’t necessarily like the green salads either.
Everyone has time to make a salad, and we could all use some more greens in our diets. One tip to make you more likely to eat salads is to cut up the ingredients ahead of time and put them in Ziploc bags or Tupperware, so when the time comes you can just throw it all together in a bowl. Spring is the ideal season to become re-acquainted with salads, so take these easy recipes and enjoy the season.
