Salad Mythbusters

Do you think a salad has to be a boring bowl of greens that could barely sustain a supermodel? Think again. Salads can have surprising ingredients, and are versatile enough to be either a light side dish or a hearty main attraction. We’ve got easy-to-prepare recipes for salads that are as nutritious as they are delicious. Still not convinced? Read on.

Not with ingredients like garbanzo beans, sweet potatoes, candied almonds, and jalapenos. The only thing that limits what can go into a salad is your imagination. If it sounds good, why not try it? For a unique take on coleslaw, try our Southwestern Coleslaw recipe (click on Diabetes Recipes). Or get a recipe for Candied Walnut Salad from the American Diabetes Association Web site: www.diabetes.org.

Salads can be chock full of nutrients if you add the right ingredients. Whole grains, legumes, and nuts have B vitamins, and meat and dairy products contain B12 and iron. Cheese has calcium. Pasta, potatoes, and corn are good sources of starch. Plant foods, like black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans, and fresh fruits and vegetables, provide fiber. Vegetables and fruits also supply needed vitamins and minerals.

A salad can be an entire lunch or dinner. For protein, add grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak. Feta cheese, boiled eggs, crab, and tuna are also good choices. As a starch, there’s potatoes, grilled corn sliced from the cob, and pasta. When it comes to vegetables, don’t limit your thinking to lettuce and tomatoes. Vegetables of all kinds make good additions, whether raw or cooked.

Don’t forget fruit salads. Cantaloupe, cranberries, pears, apples, oranges, bananas, kiwis, pineapple—if it’s a fruit, it can be added to a salad. Even better, combine fruit and classical salad ingredients, such as endive, greens, and vinaigrette, for a taste that will surprise you, with our Baby-Greens Salad with Grapefruit (click on Diabetes Recipes).

Dressing that you make yourself not only has more flavor, it’s much better for you, with less fat and salt than the bottled variety. Best of all, it’s easy to make. For a basic vinaigrette, combine two parts oil to one part vinegar, add some mustard and salt and pepper to taste, and stir.

For a salad that’s substantial and tasty, try this:

Greek Style Garbanzo Salad