Every time the weather gets warm I start eating healthier and greener. Very different from the winter, which is when I crave carbs and unhealthy foods (agh I know) and big heavy dinners.
But now with the arrival of the summer, I love light and refreshing foods that give me the energy to get through the day. Salads not only are healthy but they keep you feeling full for a longer period.
Here are three salads that will satisfy your summertime dinner cravings.
I just want to advise you that my go-to dressing is usually the same (as you will see below). I believe that the salad dressing has to be light, anything creamy defeats the purpose of eating healthy. And you can never go wrong with olive oil, lemon and coarse salt.
Salad 1. The grapefruit dream: I've been making this salad for years, and it's always a crowd-pleaser.
You will need:
fresh spinach leaves
2 whole grapefruits peeled and sliced.
Diced walnuts.
Goat cheese.
Mustard.
Olive oil.
Lemon.
Coarse salt.
Drops of balsamic oil.
Mix the dressing first. I'm terrible with quantities so I always tell people to play it by taste. I use about one teaspoon of grainy mustard, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of two lemons, half a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of coarse salt.
Mix the dressing with the spinach leaves, the grapefruit and the walnuts. Add the goat cheese bits come in at the end.
Salad 2. The Summer Radishes salad: Radishes are in season so head to your local farmer's market, they taste better than ever.
You will need: Arugula leaves.
Red lettuce.
Sliced radishes.
Green Grapes cut in halves.
Pine nuts.
Diced red onion.
Dried Cranberries.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with the same dressing from recipe one.
Salad 3. Strawberry Fields
Strawberries are also in season and I could eat them all day. Plus, they are a perfect summer snack.
For this one you will need:
Arugula leaves.
Fresh strawberries (diced in small pieces).
Goat cheese bits.
Pumpkin seeds.
In this salad I use my go-to dressing, which is basically mixing olive oil, lemon and coarse salt, because the taste of strawberry already takes over the dish which is the whole purpose. You will love it.
Anyway, I am no chef as you will gather from the informal way in which I am sharing my "secret summer recipes", but I promise you these three salads will make you happy! And if you like them, tell me and I will certainly give you more!
¡Buen provecho!
