Dressing up for meals... talking about Supper Salads ;)

Many people consider salads to be an optional or less important part of their meal, somewhat of an appetizer before the "main course." This popular belief is wrong because a good salad has all the nutritional components required by our body, as important as the cooked "main course" or any other food group.

Check out some salad dressing:

Garden fresh Lettuce salad with Grilled Chicken 

(Caesar salad chicken)

Ingredients

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

4 cherry tomatoes,

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast

2/3 head green-leaf lettuce, torn

Directions

1.    Preheat the oven to 450 degrees . In a large bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar; season with salt and pepper.

2.  Meanwhile, preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, season with salt and grill, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.

3.   Add the lettuce to the dressing and toss to coat. Place the salad on the  plate and top with the tomatoes . Thinly slice the chicken on the diagonal and arrange in the plate.

Chicken Salad with Miso Dressing Recipe

Ingredients:

100 gms Chicken salami

2 tablespoons sake
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 tablespoon low-sodium miso paste
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 small heads of butter lettuce, leaves torn

50 gms radish, thinly sliced

Pomegranate for garnish

FOR THE MISO DRESSING

1 tablespoon low sodium miso paste
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1.      Thin slice chicken salami. Slice radish. Combine the sake, ginger, miso and salt. Toss the chicken slices into the mixture.

2.    For the dressing. Mash in the miso to form a thick paste and add the vinegar to lighten (and brighten) the miso mixture. Whisk in the oil slowly until emulsified. (Be sure to whisk again right before dressing your salad.)

3.    Toss the lettuce with the dressing. Place the chicken and radish on top of the lettuce and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

Rucola salad with 

Granny Smith Apples, Orange with Citrus dressing

Ingredients

150g baby rucola

150g baby spinach

1 granny smith apples, quartered, cored and thinly sliced

1 orange , segments

Dressing:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup orange juice

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic

Sea salt flakes and black pepper

Directions:

1.      Rinse rucola and spinach, shake off excess water.

2.    Slice Granny smith apples into thin slice. Take out orange segments

3.    Add to rucola , spinach and granny smith apples. 

4. To make the dressing, whisk together the red wine vinegar, Orange juice , olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and pour over salad just before serving.

Crabsticks and Pomelo salad with Raspberry dressings

Ingredients

150 gms Romaine Lettuce

2 sticks crabsticks,

80 gms pomelo

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, or to taste

Directions

1.  Place the raspberries, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar in a blender. Cover, and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Refrigerate until ready to use. Stir or shake before using.

2.  Cut Romaine Lettuce leaves with hands. Line your bowl with it. Cub crabsticks into 2 and toss on greens.

3.    Peel off skin from Pomelo, pick on the pulp and toss on greens.

4.    Pour in Raspberry Dressing according to taste and toss. Takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.