Tag: Healthy Salad

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Easy Chicken Caesar Salad

Easy-Chicken-Caesar-salad-Spoonful-Stories

Easy Chicken Caesar Salad with a low fat and worry free dressing is a juicy and healthy salad. It is simple to toss and delicious to eat when topped with this creamy, low fat and homemade Caesar dressing. 

I recommend, Caesar Salad is a must for everyone to have in their recipe files and this recipe will definitely not disappoint you. It is flavourful and satisfying! Makes for the perfect summer dinner or an evening snack. 

Making this Caesar Salad is extremely easy. It is all about the topping and the creamy, delicious dressing, like it is in most salads. The original Caesar Salad Dressing contains eggs and anchovies, but I am not a fan of either. I prefer not to have these two ingredients in my salad bowl. 

So, I have modified the salad dressing recipe, which is still creamy and delicious without eggs and anchovies. 

What goes in a Caesar Salad? 

There are many variations for this salad, but a classic Caesar Salad contains:

  • Croutons – I make the croutons at home
  • Caesar Salad Dressing – Low fat, creamy and homemade
  • Romaine Lettuce or Iceberg – To enjoy the crunch and juiciness 
  • Parmesan Cheese – For garnishing 

But, another common ingredient that you will find in many restaurants is chicken and egg. These two ingredients definitely add more protein to the salad and at the same time make it even more tempting. I always add chicken to my Caesar Salad but otherwise it’s optional if you would like to add it to your salad bowl. 

How to make homemade croutons?

Hoemmade-Croutons-Spoonful-Stories

Homemade croutons are definitely the best! There are two ways of making them at home, in the air fryer or simply baking them in the oven. 

  • How to make croutons in the air fryer: Remove the crust of the bread (optional) and cut the bread into small cubes. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt and let them cook in the air fryer until golden and crispy. Shaking the tray once in between This will take about 7-10 minutes.
  • How to make croutons in the oven: Remove the crust of the bread (optional) and cut the bread into cubes. Drizzle the bread with 1-2 tablespoon olive oil, salt and bake until golden and crispy. This process shall take 7-10 minutes if it is a sandwich bread. Sourdough will slightly take longer, up to 15 minutes. Shake the tray once in between for the croutons to cook evenly. 

Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

Now you can say goodbye to bottled Caesar dressing because this homemade, creamy and delicious Caesar dressing is the only way forward! 

The dressing is easy to throw together and requires ingredients that are easily available in anyone’s pantry. It is the perfect blend of so many robust flavours that blend in together perfectly. The best part about this salad dressing is that it is low fat and lesser in calories in comparison to all the other dressings out there in the market. But with this recipe, you will still have a rich and creamy dressing. 

The ingredients needed are low fat mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, soy sauce, salt, pepper, olive oil, and finely diced garlic. Yes it is that simple! 

I hope you enjoy this delicious and healthy bowl of Caesar Salad. If you have any suggestion please do leave them in the comments section below. 

Also, if you are a salad person like me, try out the Asian Kale Salad and the Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken Salad. These two salad recipes are easy to toss and taste delicious at the same time!

Easy Chicken Caesar Salad
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Easy Chicken Caesar Salad

Recipe by Ishana PassiCourse: Non-Vegetarian, SaladsDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

25

minutes

Easy Chicken Caesar Salad with a low fat and worry free dressing is a juicy and healthy salad. It is simple to toss and delicious to eat!

Ingredients

  • 1 romaine lettuce

  • 400 gms chicken breast

  • 3-4 slices bread

  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

  • Dressing

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 cloves minced garlic

  • 1 spoon soy sauce

  • 2 tbsp low fat mayonnaise

  • 1 tsp mustard

  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  • Cut the lettuce into pieces, wash the leaves well and set aside to dry. Cut the cherry tomatoes into half and set aside.
  • Slice the chicken into small pieces and marinate it in thyme, pinch paprika, turmeric and salt, spoon olive oil. Heat a pan to medium heat, add the chicken and cook until golden brown and crispy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
  • Cut the bread into slices. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and let them cook in the air fryer for about 7-10 minutes until golden crispy.
  • In a bowl prepare the salad dressing by whisking together all the salad dressing ingredients. Whisk until well combined.
  • In a large bowl place the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, croutons and the sliced chicken and coat with the salad dressing. Mix well and serve.
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Green Pea Quinoa Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Green-pea-quino-salad-with-basil-vinaigrette

Quinoa Salad with spring green peas, cottage cheese, walnuts and an easy basil vinaigrette is the perfect recipe for a healthy meal. It’s also a great healthy side dish for grilled chicken or fish or meat. 

My dad loves having delicious and wholesome dishes like this Green Pea Quinoa with Basil Vinaigrette. I normally make it and store it for a few days in the fridge. Everyone likes to eat healthy and tasty food but doesn’t have time to prepare for it and cook it from scratch. Meal prepping and pre planning meals is a good way to eat homemade delicious healthy food. This healthy salad recipe is one of the recipes that you can make ahead and store for a few days in the fridge. 

This salad is a regular side dish or a full meal itself in my house. It is healthy, delicious and wholesome! The basil vinaigrette makes this quinoa salad a refreshing summer salad. It can be eaten warm or cold, as you like it. It is a perfect healthy family meal to serve along with a piece of grilled meat. 

The combination of green peas and cottage cheese is a match made in heaven! This combination is great for the grains in this salad. Being North Indian, my fridge is always stocked with cottage cheese. But if you want to be fancy, serve it with feta instead of cottage cheese. 

What else can I add to my Green Pea Quinoa Salad with Basil Vinaigrette? 

There are many variations to this salad. There are many ingredients that you can add according to the taste you prefer. Simply add your favourite vegetables or sliced grilled chicken. A few options are:

  1. Drained and Rinsed Chickpeas
  2. Sliced Grilled Chicken
  3. Dried Cranberries/Apricots
  4. Chopped Cauliflower
  5. Chopped Broccoli 

Basil Vinaigrette 

My recipe for the Basil Vinaigrette is the easiest and tastiest salad dressing. It works great as a salad dressing but also as a sauce for chicken, fish or even pasta. It is amazing on just about everything! 

During the summer when my dad is craving refreshing and wholesome salads, I’m always looking to try out new salad dressings. But this Basil Vinaigrette is my favourite. 

It is easy, refreshing and requires minimum prep and ingredients. 

Use a blender or a food processor and you’re good to go! Simply blend together, basil, coriander, vinegar, honey, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. The end result is a bright green vinaigrette that is bursting with flavour. 

Store it in a jar and keep it in your fridge for up to 5 days! I highly recommend you to have it with grilled chicken. Use my recipe for the grilled chicken marinade from the Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken Salad. It is life changing! 

I can guarantee this healthy salad dressing recipe will be a staple in your house too! 

Green Pea Quinoa Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
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Green Pea Quinoa Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Recipe by Ishana PassiCourse: Salads, Side DishDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

20

minutes

Quinoa Salad with spring green peas, cottage cheese, walnuts and an easy basil vinaigrette is the perfect recipe for a healthy meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa

  • 4 cups water

  • pinch of salt

  • handful chopped walnuts

  • 1 cup crumbled cottage cheese

  • 1 cup frozen peas blanched

  • Basil Vinaigrette

  • 1 cup basil leaves

  • 1/2 onion finely chopped

  • 2 cloves minced garlic

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 1 tbsp chopped coriander

  • 3 tbsp white vinegar

  • 1 tbsp honey

  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes

  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  • Combine the quinoa and water in a sauce pan. Season it with salt and let it cook on medium heat until the water is absorbed. Turn the heat off and cover the quinoa. Allow it to steam for 10 minutes until the quinoa grains are al dente.
  • While the quinoa is cooking, combine the ingredients for the basil vinaigrette in a blender. Blend until the dressing is smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Add additional honey if you like the dressing sweet. 1 tbsp was enough for us.
  • In a large combine the quinoa, peas, cottage cheese and drizzle the dressing on top. Mix together well. Add the chopped walnuts and serve.
  • You can serve the salad warm or cold too.