Healthy salads help promote moderation

Last week, the Historic Lewes Farmers Market invited me to participate in Beebe Healthcare Day. All morning long, nurses at the main Beebe tent offered free health screenings and flu vaccines. A dietician from the Diabetes Care group presented a talk on managing diabetes with nutrition. And, after collecting ingredients from the growers at the market, I demonstrated how to make two different healthy salads.

I opened my talk with two things I refer to when thinking about food and recipes. The first comes from Michael Pollan, who famously said: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” This seven-word philosophy is packed with information. When he advises eating food, he refers to “real” foods, not those that have been processed, manufactured or pre-packaged.

Moderation has always been key to a healthy diet, with the recommendation to eat only enough calories to maintain your ideal weight. The basic formula is to consume the number of calories equal to 10 times your desired weight. For example, if you want to weigh 180 pounds, you should eat approximately 1,800 calories. Of course, when you exercise, you can increase your intake.

Pollan advocates a philosophy that has been in the news for years: the plant-based diet. Whether to avoid saturated fats or to reduce the strain on the environment associated with beef and pork production, consumption of plants instead of animals has many adherents. While Pollan’s cookbooks don’t avoid meat, fish and poultry, those recipes number far fewer than those focused on plants.

The other part of my opening comments was mentioning one of the best books on how to build a dish or create a recipe. “Salt Fat Acid Heat” by Samin Nosrat explains how to balance these four elements, addressing how to showcase specific ingredients and incorporate appropriate techniques no matter what you are preparing. From pasta to beans, from sauces to seasonings, keep these four components in mind.

For my first healthy salad, I combined fresh vegetables with beans, starting with the kernels from several ears of corn. Next came canned black beans that had been rinsed and drained, but remained a tad salty. These were joined by chopped red bell pepper and minced red onion, which gave us some mild heat. A vinaigrette delivered fat in the form of olive oil, acid in the form of key lime juice, with the rest of the heat from chili powder and cumin.

This particular combination could be endlessly modified – for example, by changing the color of the beans, replacing red onion with shallot and adding zucchini. What keeps the salad healthy is the freshness of the ingredients and the minimal fat, delivering flavor interest with the spice mixture.   

The second salad featured couscous and halved cherry tomatoes. Salt came in the form of crumbled feta cheese and capers, while olive oil and Balsamic vinegar delivered fat and acid. Minced red onion and chiffonade of basil provided subtle heat. Like the first salad, this one could also be modified by changing the pasta base or replacing the feta with mozzarella. 

For both of these, very little fat and clean ingredients help keep them heathy options for an easy meal or side dish. In the photo you can see the samples we shared with visitors at the market.

Black Bean Salad

2 C canned black beans

4 ears corn

1/2 C chopped red bell pepper

1/4 C minced red onion

3 T olive oil

2 T key lime juice

1 t chili powder

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t fleur de sel

Rinse and drain the beans; place in a serving bowl. Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and add to the bowl, discarding cobs. Add pepper and onion; toss to combine. In a measuring cup, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, chili powder and cumin. Pour dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Sprinkle with fleur de sel. Yield: 4 servings.

Couscous Salad

2 C cooked couscous

1 C cherry tomatoes, halved

2/3 C crumbled feta

1/4 C minced red onion

3 T drained capers

3 T olive oil

1 1/2 T Balsamic vinegar

12 basil leaves

Combine the couscous and tomatoes in a serving bowl. Add feta, onion and capers; toss to combine. In a measuring cup, whisk together olive oil and vinegar. Pour over salad and stir to incorporate dressing. Chiffonade the basil leaves and scatter over the top of the salad. Yield: 4 servings.