Know your summer salads
The right salad greens are full of nutrition, containing fibre, iron, folate,
vitamin K, potassium and beta-carotene.
Start with one or more of these fat-free summer salad greens. Then mix and
match your favourite heart healthy ingredients — like fruit, veggies,
nuts and seeds, low-fat cheese or lean meat — to create your very own
sensational summer salads!
Mix and match your own greens
Arugula has flat, smooth leaves and a robust, peppery flavour.
It often perks up the flavour of Mesclun salad mixes. Try it with diced fresh
mangoes or grilled peaches and a fruity vinaigrette dressing. It's great in
sandwiches too — give our Grilled
Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper and Arugula Sandwich a try!
Belgian endive is grown in darkness, which explains why its
leaves are white instead of green. The slender smooth leaves have a slight bitter
flavour, but make great edible scoops for serving our delicious Chunky
Vegetable Antipasto. For a fresh salad appetizer, fan out endive leaves
on a plate and top with baby spinach. Add fresh basil, diced tomatoes and a
drizzle of low-fat dressing.
Boston lettuce resembles a giant rose in full bloom. Its soft
green leaves are tender and sweet. To make a simple yet succulent salad, add
a few sliced radishes or sliced red grapes and enjoy with a sweet dressing.
Escarole belongs to the endive family and has jagged, pointed
leaves. Like most salad greens, escarole is on the bitter side, although the
pale inner leaves tend to be less so. Pair with a handful of toasted walnuts
or hazelnuts to accentuate its own nutty flavour.
Leaf lettuce is available in many different varieties, including
the curly and sweet tasting red leaf lettuce (also called Lolla Rossa). Green
oak leaf lettuce has a sweet pea taste, while red oak leaf lettuce has a subtle
nutty flavour. Toss any type of leaf lettuce with fresh blueberries or slivers
of ripe pear (leave the skin on for added colour and fibre) and then dress the
salad with a raspberry flavoured vinaigrette.
Radicchio looks like a small red cabbage. It's a perfect colourful
accent to green salads. Its bitter and slightly peppery taste mellows when cooked
or grilled. To make a savoury salad, top radicchio with sautéed mushrooms
and marinated beans.
Romaine is the traditional basis for Caesar salads and is the
sweetest tasting of all lettuce greens. Top a bed of romaine leaves with strips
of grilled skinless chicken breast, julienned carrots, sliced red onion and
shredded low-fat cheese. Dress with our zesty Dijon
Garlic Vinaigrette, add a whole wheat bun and voilà — your
delicious, healthy dinner is served.
Spinach salads are a good nutritional match for foods rich
in vitamin C, such as roasted red peppers, mandarin oranges, kiwi and strawberries.
The vitamin C helps to boost the amount of iron your body can absorb from spinach.
Watercress is a delicate green with dime-sized leaves that
pack a peppery flavour. It looks and tastes wonderful paired with sliced beets
and a low-fat creamy dressing.