Recipe: Turkey Artichoke Salad With Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

With their large volume and low calories, salads are a big part of the Volumetrics Diet.

This version can be modified in many different ways depending on your goals and preferences. Don't have turkey on hand? Substitute chicken. Want more protein? Add a couple of handfuls of cooked navy, black, or kidney beans. Want less fat? Cut down on the cheese, or use a lower fat variety. If you like strong flavored cheeses such as blue cheese or feta, a little goes a long way, so you can use less and still get a lot of flavor.

However you make it, this is a great option for a lunch or light supper, as it will fill you up and leave you satisfied for hours!

Turkey Artichoke Salad With Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing
(Serves 2-4.)

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp grated sweet onion
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
8 cups mixed greens, washed and dried
1 lb. roasted turkey breast, cut up bite sized
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 sweet red bell peppers, diced
1 jar (6 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, chopped slightly
4 oz. soft mozzarella cheese, chopped

Directions:

• Put the olive oil, vinegar, onion, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk vigorously until foamy.
• In a big bowl, toss together the remaining ingredients.
• Spoon salad out evenly between cold salad plates and drizzle the blended dressing over as desired, taste and season with salt and pepper if you wish.

 Check Out These Resources for More Tasty Volumetrics Recipes:

   

Recipe: Crazy Crunch Cannellini Salad

If you're following the Volumetrics approach, this salad will be a great option for a filling meal. Packed with tons of fresh, healthy veggies, along with beans for protein, and some tasty herbs for great flavor, you can pretty much eat as much as you want of this delicious salad!

Crazy Crunch Cannellini Salad

Ingredients:

4 small cucumbers, scrubbed clean and diced small
1 sweet red bell pepper, cleaned and diced small
2 green onions, chopped small
1 celery stalk , chopped small
1 radish, chopped small (optional)
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped fine
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained well
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp grated sweet onion
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:

• Put all the prepared vegetables in a large bowl and toss together, then add the beans and lightly toss just to combine.
• In a small bowl put the remaining ingredients and whisk vigorously until blended well and dressing gets lighter in color and becomes frothy.
• Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
• Drizzle about half the dressing into the bowl with the vegetables, toss, and add more if desired, tossing again.
• Serve immediately or chill slightly (about 20 minutes) before serving if you wish.
• If your diet doesn't allow cannellini beans, you can substitute another form of protein such as diced cooked turkey or chicken.  This is a very refreshing salad that can take a lot of tweaking.
• This makes a nice side dish for a grilled fish, chicken, or other meat dish.  You can also serve it as a light supper, lunch, or even a brunch dish.
• Use a variety of herbs in the dressing to make this dish different every time you make it. You can also change the beans to others you may prefer.

 Check These Out for More Tasty Volumetrics Recipes:

   

Potluck Recipe: Mexican Bean Salad

In a hurry and don't have much time to throw together something for this afternoon's potluck? You can't go wrong with this delicious bean salad - and you may already  have everything you need in your pantry and freezer. Throw these together in a nice bowl, toss, and you'll be ready to go!

Mexican Bean Salad
(Makes 10-12 pot luck servings.)

Ingredients:

Bean salad. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
dash chili powder (to taste)
2 cans (15 oz ea) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (15 oz ea) cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
2 pkgs (10 oz ea) frozen baby lima beans, thawed and drained
3 regular size carrots, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 or 2 jalepenos, finely diced
Optional: mixed greens for serving

Directions:

• Put the first 6 ingredients in a large serving bowl and whisk vigorously until frothy.
• Add the remaining ingredients and stir together gently until well coated.
• Cover bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour, stirring several times during the hour, then stir again just before serving.
• May be served over mixed greens if desired.

4 Easy & Tasty Last-Minute Potluck Dishes

Does this sound familiar? You finally get around to opening your email at work and see an invitation to a potluck dinner tomorrow evening. Or, you pick up your church bulletin and realize that the potluck you talked about going to with a friend is this Sunday. It's short notice, so the idea of making your famous homemade seven layer German sweet chocolate cake is out of the question. But, you don't want to just show up with a bag of chips and tub of dip from the supermarket either. So, what's the answer?

Let's take a look at four quick and simple offerings that won't make you look, or feel, like a loser at the potluck table.

Green Stuff

This is a guilty pleasure for many folks, especially at holiday meals. So, why not give everybody what they want, but are too shy to ask for?

The recipe is so simple it's almost sinful, just like the creation itself. There are many options, but basically you will need to stop at the store and get pistachio pudding, a big tub of whipped topping, a can of crushed pineapple, and some nuts. Some people add cottage cheese or marshmallows to their Green Stuff. It's totally up to you how you make it. The wonderful thing is it goes together in minutes and is ready when you are. And, everyone loves this stuff! No reason at all to be embarrassed showing up with this offering.

Bean Salad

The beauty of this salad is it can be different every time you make it. It all depends what you want to throw in. You can easily begin in your own pantry and refrigerator and go from there, perhaps not even having to make a trip to the store at all.

Gather together canned beans, any variety; black, pinto, cannellini, navy, kidney, lima, green, yellow waxed, etc. Then, look in your freezer and grab whole kernel corn, green peas, mixed veggies, or anything you have on hand. Drain the cans, thaw the frozen, and throw them all into a big bowl. Dig through your crisper and grab some onion, celery, and radishes, too, and chop those up. Now dress the salad with that bottle of Italian dressing you have had in your refrigerator just waiting for emergencies. Voila! You have a very presentable tangy and tasty salad. No apologizes needed because this is one delicious dish!

Cole Slaw

It's true that cole slaw may be the laziest way out of a tight potluck predicament. And, if you are not careful, it will taste lazy, too. But, there are ways to turn even a humble bag of cole slaw into a welcome dish at any potluck.

The trick with cole slaw salad is to give it a twist. Make your salad sweet and savory by adding pineapple, raisins, and nuts (my favorite!), then mixing up a dressing that has a savory edge using apple cider vinegar and Greek yogurt or mayonnaise. Then throw in some sunflower seeds or nuts for more color and crunch. Or create a satisfying cole slaw salad by adding lots of crumbled bacon, broccoli, sweet red bell pepper, and toss with a smoky style dressing. You just want to make sure that you add some surprises when offering a cole slaw salad, then it will look like you thought about bringing this dish for days instead of hours.

Mixed Nut Nibbles

Of course you never want to just bring a can of mixed nuts and dump them out into a bowl and serve. That just shows absolute disinterest in the event and the other guests. It's better not to show up at all if this is the case. Instead, create a flavorful homemade treat that takes minutes but tastes like you really put some thought into the preparation.

Just spread mixed nuts out onto a baking sheet. If you want a sweet nibble, toss with a little light oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar and bake in a medium oven, stirring occasionally, just until hot and fragrant. If you want a savory nibble, toss the nuts with olive oil and spices like hot pepper flakes, oregano, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Bake until fragrant, stirring every few minutes. Remove and let cool, then put the nuts in a pretty bowl. When you set these nuts out, provide a spoon and a tiny candy cup or muffin cup, whatever you have, so guests can fill up the cup and walk around, nibbling and chatting. What will they be chatting about? I suspect they will be talking about how delicious these nutty treats are!

Even with very short notice you can create a dish to bring to a potluck meal. You don't have to resort to a bag of chips and tub of purchased dip. You can bring something to offer that is truly delicious and definitely worthy of a spot on the potluck table!

Be sure to check back here later this week for some more quick and simple potluck recipes.

Recipe: Garlic Lime Dressed Chickpea Salad

This delicious twist on a fresh summer bean salad uses protein-rich chickpeas, and a simple dressing of garlic and lime juice. It only takes a few minutes to make, and a great make-ahead dish as the flavors will continue to develop as it sits. This one is also great for potlucks, or for a quick summer lunch, add lettuce or sprouts and stuff into a toasted pita pocket.

Garlic Lime Dressed Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2 limes, juiced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1/2 medium onion, diced

Directions:

• Whisk together the lime juice, garlic, cumin, olive oil, salt, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.
• Add the chickpeas, parsley, and onion to the bowl and stir until coated well with the dressing.
• May be served immediately at room temperature, or placed in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more to let the flavors develop.

Recipe: Cold Quinoa Green Bean Salad

Cold summer salads are one of my favorite ways to eat quinoa. The uniquely crunchy texture provides a nice change from other summer salad options, and the mild flavor goes well with just about any summer veggie and light tangy dressing. This is a variation on one of my other favorites - using green beans instead of cooked black beans. It makes a great lunch or light supper, and lends itself well to all sorts of creative tweaks and additions - have fun, and enjoy!

Cold Quinoa Green Bean Salad with Tomatoes & Feta
(Serves 1.)

Ingredients:

Quinoa salad (Photo credit: markhillary)

For the salad:
1 cup quinoa
9 ounces runner beans (cut off tops and tails, then cut in narrow diagonal strips)
10 1/2 ounces cherry tomatoes (wash tomatoes and cut in quarters)
7 ounces feta cheese
One handful pumpkin seeds (toast in a dry skillet for a minute or so to prepare)
black olives to taste, roughly chopped

For the dressing:
juice from one medium-sized lemon
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Toast quinoa in a pan over medium-low heat until quinoa just starts to change color.
• Stir in three cups hot water and a pinch of salt. Allow to simmer for about 12 minutes, until quinoa is almost tender and white tails start to appear. 
• Add beans, then cover pan and allow to steam for two minutes. Water in the pan should be completely absorbed and the quinoa grains light and fluffy. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

• To make the dressing, mix lemon juice, oil, and balsamic or red wine vinegar together. Add black pepper and salt as needed.  Set aside.

• Finally, add olives, tomatoes, and most of the pumpkin seeds to the quinoa and beans.
• Drizzle dressing over this mixture and crumble in the feta cheese. 
• Top with remaining pumpkin seeds and serve immediately.

Recipe - Crunchy Lentil And Chickpea Veggie Toss

You may think of beans as being a winter food - soups, stews, chilis, etc. But beans are so versatile they can go great in lots of summer dishes as well. From easy burritos and wraps (like our Quick Burrito recipe from last week), to bean salads, there are many ways to use tasty, healthy beans in summer recipes. Here is a good one, full of fresh summer veggies and lovely colors.

Enjoy!

Image via WikipediaCrunchy Lentil And Chickpea Veggie Toss

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried lentils
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, chopped, including green tops
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 celery ribs, chopped small
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
2 Tbsp good olive oil
sea or kosher salt to taste
dash black pepper
a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. In a soup pot, put lentils and water over medium high heat, bring to a boil, turn heat to low, and simmer very slowly for about 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. (Don't let the lentils boil; skim off any foam that forms on the top.)
   
2. Meanwhile prepare chickpeas and veggies and put into a large salad bowl; cover bowl and keep chilled.
   
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice and olive oil, with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
   
4. When lentils are cooked, cool slightly, then toss into chilled veggies.
   
5. Pour lime juice and olive oil dressing over the mixture, toss together lightly until combined; taste, adjust seasonings, toss again.
   
6. Chill salad for 15 to 25 minutes, then serve cold.

To make this lentil salad go a bit further, serve over a bed of crispy Romaine lettuce.  You can also toss it with chopped lettuce if you wish.

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