Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Spring for Salad by Alicia Street


                                                                  Photo: Dan Gold at UnSplash

When I was growing up my mother never had to scold me saying, “Eat your spinach!”
I love eating vegetables. And fruits.

Having lived my whole life in the northeastern part of the US, this time of year always signals the start of a season when the best produce will be available in abundance. I can add fresh blueberries to my oatmeal, whip raspberries in to my favorite yogurt, or nibble on cucumbers dipped in hummus—one of my favorite snacks.

Here’s a yummy spring lunch salad that I make using strawberries and greens.
              
1 cup chopped spinach
1 cup chopped arugula
1 cup chopped romaine
½ cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 red radish, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh strawberries, sliced
¼ cup thinly sliced purple onion
10 cherry tomatoes
½ sweet red or green pepper, sliced
8 asparagus spears, trimmed
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts  
½ 16 ounce can of red kidney beans, drained
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
1 cup water

1.     Brown the cubed chicken breast in the olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette in a skillet over medium heat, about 10 minutes. (Those who prefer a meatless salad can leave this out.)
2.     Boil the water and cook the asparagus only until slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
3.     Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and toss. Serve with your favorite dressing. Makes enough for two or three.


Do you like fresh vegetable and fruits? How about your kids? What’s your favorite way to eat them?

                                                   ~*~


Alicia Street is a USA Today bestselling author and a Daphne du Maurier award-winner. A compulsive reader of every genre, she writes both sweet and steamy romance. She spent many years as a dancer, choreographer and teacher. You can connect with Alicia at her website or visit her on Facebook or Twitter.

8 comments:

  1. I love fresh vegetable and our local farmer;s market.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The salad sounds delicious, Alicia. Our farmers market opens this Saturday. Yay!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I LOVE fresh fruits and veggies. I love roasted vegetables. And I eat fresh fruit as snacks in between meals. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love salads. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like fruits in my green salads. But I don’t like other vegetables like corn and beans in my salad. I’m kind of strange, I think beans and corn should be served hot.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am with you on eating fresh food!I have raw carrots for lunch today. I have been on a cucumber kick lately though. I slice them, add a small amount hot sweet pickle juice and It salad dressing on them in the morning. They are then perfect at lunchtime!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Fresh fruits and vegetables are part of my daily diet. And the Farmer's markets in our area are such a treat!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have a spinach salad with strawberries and blueberries almost every day for lunch.

    ReplyDelete