Clean & Delicious with Dani Spies
Fuel your body. Feed your life!
I just LOVE a kale salad and as far as I’m concerned, they are welcome on every table for any holiday or non holiday meal.
This beauty is packed with kale + pecans + pomegranate + sunflower seeds + feta cheese, which = a seriously delicious party on your plate that would happen to perfect for the holidays.
It also works brilliantly as a light lunch or dinner, so no need to wait for the party to whip this one up.
Scroll down to watch the video!
This Four Bean Salad is the ultimate summer side dish when you are headed to a picnic, BBQ, or any type of pot luck meal. Many of the ingredients come from the pantry, so I find myself turning to this recipe whenever I am short on time or working with the bottom of my veggie drawer.
It has a lot of perks. For starters it makes a huge bowl, so it’s great for a crowd (or as a head start ingredient for the week). It also tends to taste better the longer it sits, so you can definitely save yourself some time by making this ahead of time. And finally, it’s super versatile, use whatever beans, vinegar, and fresh crunchy veggies you have on hand, really, it’s an extremely easy-going kind of salad.
Oh, and did I mention that it’s beautiful?
I mean, really, beans don’t get enough vanity love. Just look at all of that vibrancy!
What’s one of your favorite go to salads to bring to a last minute BBQ or cookout? It has to be EASY and DELICIOUS.
#CleanAndGreenWithDani is in full effect my friends! But before I jump into this weeks recipe-video, let’s recap what we’ve covered so far, shall we?
I’ve tackled the basics of green juice and some of my favorite ways to make them. The green juices have really been growing on me and my hubby but I do find that we make green smoothies more often simply because it’s a little easier to do (in regards to clean up!).
This is my go-to formula for making smoothies, it’s a great base and makes for a yummy smoothie. However, these smoothie combos are all packed with GREENS so they have been more my speed lately, since I have been really focusing on getting my greens in this month.
Which brings me to salads.
These recipes are some of my favorite, super-simple salads ideas. Each of these salads has only 5 ingredients (plus each one has it’s own yummy dressing which are all just versions of my go-to vinaigrette).
This simple salad combines the heartiness of kale and the crunchiness of red cabbage and carrots to create a super delicious, nutritious, and satisfying salad. Combine that with rich and creamy avocado and tart and crispy green apples and you will quickly understand why this is one of my personal favorites!
Salad:
Dressing:
Salad:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Dressing:
Combine all ingredients in a small glass bowl and whisk until well incorporated.
Assembly:
Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss. Enjoy!!
Makes 4 servings (2.5 cups each)
Calories: 214; Total Fat: 13.4g; Saturated Fat: 1.8g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Carbohydrate: 26.5g; Dietary Fiber: 7.2g; Sugars: 10.5g; Protein: 4.4g
Who says you need lettuce to make an insanely delicious, veggie-packed salad?! Not me;). Simply chop up some of veggies and combine with olives and garbanzo beans and you’ve got yourself a super fresh and yummy salad ready to go. I love eating this salad with grilled chicken or even canned sardines (I just love sardines!).
Salad:
Dressing:
Salad:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Dressing:
Combine all ingredients in a small glass bowl and whisk together.
Assembly:
Pour dressing over salad and gently toss. Adjust seasonings and enjoy!
Makes 4.5 cups (2-4 servings)
Nutrients per 1 cup + 2 tbsp.: Calories: 188; Total Fat: 11.1g; Saturated Fat: 1.1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Carbohydrate: 20.6g; Dietary Fiber: 3.4g; Sugars: 4.6g; Protein: 4g
And this guy is perfect for those days when you want something Clean & Delicious, but just have no desire for a traditional salad (yes! it happens to us all, doesn’t it?). Protein packed quinoa and black beans mixed with bell pepper, scallion and avocado make for a beautiful, gluten-free salad that is light and delicious.
Salad:
Dressing:
Salad:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Dressing:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combined.
Assembly:
Pour dressing over the salad an gently toss. Adjust seasonings and enjoy!
Makes 4.5 cups (2-4 servings)
Nutrients per 1cup + 2 tbsp.: Calories: 265; Total Fat: 13.9g; Saturated Fat: 1.8g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Carbohydrate: 31.9g; Dietary Fiber: 6.9g; Sugars: 1.5g; Protein: 7.3g
Which of these salads do you think you may try first? And/or what are some of YOUR favorite super-simple salads to make for lunch during the week? I would love to hear from you down in the comments below!
Have we ever discussed my love of “slaw” before?
I can’t remember whether or not we have, so I’ll just keep this short and sweet.
I love cole slaw. Any and all forms of it.
I think my affection for slaw actually stems from the cabbage. I love raw cabbage.
I also love french fries, mayo, and ice cream, but somehow these don’t seem relevant to the topic.
This salad came about last night because I wanted something quick and refreshing.
The original idea was spurred with the promise of a crisp green apple; but when I realized I was all out, my Asian pear stepped in and took center stage.
Had I known that my tart green apple was going to be swapped for a sweet crisp pear, I may have made some small changes to this salad to play off that sweetness.
Perhaps:
But due to the unexpected, last minute nature of the whole situation I just topped a salad made for an apple with a pear.
And ya know what? It worked well enough.
I still got to enjoy a light, crispy, crunchy, refreshing salad that was packed with my beloved raw cabbage!
Just goes to show you that flexibility can be rewarded.
Oh life. She’s always eager to share a lesson.
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Combine cabbage, pear, garlic, scallion and parsley in a large bowl.
Add lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to bowl and toss until everything is well combined. Adjust seasonings to your preferences.
Sprinkle with almonds and enjoy!
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrients per 1-1/2 cup: Calories: 113; Total Fat: 4.7g; Saturated Fat: 0.5g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 28mg; Carbohydrate: 17.3g; Dietary Fiber: 6.4g; Sugars: 10.1g; Protein: 3.5g
Greek Salad is one of my favorites. It doesn’t require any fancy ingredients – you can get everything right at your grocery store and if you do a little pre-preppin’, this dish is really just “assembly only.”
I would however urge you to get a GOOD feta cheese, not the pre-crumbled or low fat versions. A nice, fresh, creamy, tangy feta can really make this salad. I find that the low-fat, pre-crumbled fetas are kind of rubbery and tasteless and really a waste of time (but hey, that’s just me).
Because I almost always cook up some chicken on the weekend for a quick lunch or dinner option, Beng and I topped our salads with some “Very Greek Grilled Chicken” (a recipe that I got from Kalyn’s Kitchen) that I made earlier in the week. This salad would also be awesome with some grilled shrimp. Adding a little protein over the top really turns this into a main course (you could also serve some pita and hummus to really take it over the top).
One last thing, when it comes to salad dressing, the classic vinaigrette is three parts oil to one part vinegar (or acid) but I prefer one part oil to two parts vinegar. It makes for an overall lighter dressing, and I don’t miss the extra oil at all. If you are used to making the classic dressing, you may find my style a little thinner, so feel free to experiment with the counts.
Enjoy.
Yield: Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Salad
Dressing
Dressing
Combine your garlic, oregano, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside until you are ready to use.
Salad
Once you have all of the ingredients chopped up, this salad is pretty much assembly only.
Place your romaine in a large bowl or serving dish and top with veggies and feta cheese. Drizzle your salad dressing over the top right before you are ready to eat and enjoy!!
Serves 4.
1/4 of the salad with 2 tbsp of dressing:
Calories: 215; Total Fat: 14.6g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 8mg; Sodium: 333mg; Carbohydrate: 19.6g; Dietary Fiber: 3.8g; Sugars: 5.1g; Protein: 5.1g
Sometimes I forget how little it takes to make a great salad. Basically all you need is one in-season veggie along with some salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a knock-your-socks-off salad and this recipe is the perfect example.
I served this right along side my Soy and Agave Skirt Steak which made for a super easy (and rather tasty) weeknight meal.
Just be sure that you are working with really ripe and seasonal tomatoes since they are the star of the show. I promise you… if your tomatoes aren’t good, you’re salad won’t be good, so don’t waste your time if you have less-than-stellar tomatoes.
I really had fun posting the weekly menu last week and am thinking about making this a monthly feature. Not only is it fun to share with you guys but it really helps me stay organized and committed to my plan as well.
Yield: Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Toss tomatoes and onions together in a medium bowl.
In a small bowl combine garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar together and whisk. Season with salt and pepper.
Toss tomatoes and onions with the dressing and top with crumbled blue cheese. Enjoy!
Serves 2.
Nutrients per serving: Calories: 135; Total Fat: 9.3g; Saturated Fat: 2.5g; Cholesterol: 8mg; Sodium: 184mg; Carbohydrate: 10.6g; Dietary Fiber: 2.2g; Sugars: 3.5g; Protein: 4.1g
Delicious and beautiful, I will definitely be making this Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad again! I just love the idea of using the flesh of the squash in a salad. It just goes to show you just how darn versatile Butternut Squash really is.
I found this salad over at Yum Sugar (I actually linked to it under my Butternut Squash 101 video). I pretty much stuck to the recipe except for a few minor adjustments.
For starters, I chose not to toast the walnuts. I really love the rich, raw flavor of walnuts and wanted to leave them just as they were.
The original recipe also called to toss the Butternut Squash in a quarter cup of brown sugar before roasting, but I decided that since butternut squash has a natural sweetness all on it’s own that I would skip the added sugar and go for something savory instead. I tossed the squash with some fresh chopped rosemary (one of my favorites) but am certain that sage or thyme would work just as well.
I also couldn’t resist finishing the salad off with some freshly crumbled feta cheese. The tangy, salty flavor of the feta was the perfect balance to the sweet and savory squash. Add some antioxidant rich pomegranate seeds and you’ve got yourself one heck of a cool weather salad.
This salad could easily serve as the main dish but also makes a great partner for some roasted chicken.
Yield: Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss butternut squash, olive oil, rosemary, and crushed red pepper on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove squash from oven and flip them around a bit before popping them back into the oven for another 15 minutes or so. You are looking for the squash to begin browning and become nice and tender.
(The squash can be made up to two hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
While the squash is baking whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, and oil together. Season with some salt and pepper and set aside.
When you are ready to assemble the salad, combine the lettuce, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts and lightly toss in the dressing. Spoon warm or room temperature squash over the top of the salad and sprinkle with feta cheese. Enjoy!!
Calories per serving: 235; Total Fat: 15.3g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 8mg; Sodium: 119mg; Carbohydrate: 24.8g; Dietary Fiber: 4.1g; Sugars: 9g; Protein: 4.8g
Don’t ask me why, but it seems every time I went to the grocery store this week I bought broccoli.
Broccoli, broccoli, broccoli.
So when I peeked in the veggie drawer last night to decide what was gonna be for dinner, guess what came pouring out?
Yep, Broccoli! Broccoli and a head of Napa Cabbage.
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m a big fan of slaw. I love it. Classic Cole Slaw, Italian Cole Slaw, Peanut Slaw… you name it, I’m a fan. So once I spotted the cabbage, I decided I would do some type of twist on Cole Slaw.
Years back, my sister-in-law, Cathy made a sweet and salty cole slaw recipe that was made up of broccoli, cabbage, ramen noodles, almonds, and sunflower seeds.
This salad was crazy good! Addictive good… the type of good where you know you shouldn’t ask for the recipe because you won’t be able to stop eating it good. So I didn’t, but this is the salad that popped in my mind when I saw the cabbage and broccoli staring at me.
So, I did a PG-13 version of Cathy’s salad. I used apple cider vinegar along with soy sauce and sesame oil, then added a few dries cherries for a little extra sweetness. The broccoli, scallions, and sunflower seeds gave it a good crunch and at the end of the day I was really happy with my played down version.
Other additions that I think would work really well with the salad would be roasted peanuts, peas, chopped apple, or maybe some of those Chinese ramen noodles if you wanted to get crazy.
*I served this along side Bacon Wrapped Turkey Mignons from Trader Joe’s!
Yield: Serves 4-6
Combine broccoli, cabbage and scallions in a large bowl.
In a smaller bowl combine sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic. Whisk well and pour over veggies.
Finish with sunflower seeds and cherries...Enjoy!
Calories: 164; Total Fat: 8.4g; Saturated Fat: 1.1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 300mg; Carbohydrate: 17g; Dietary Fiber: 5.7g; Sugars: 7.6g; Protein: 6.1g
