Healthy Green Salads as Side Dishes : Fruit and Vegetable Salad Recipes

Healthy Green Salads as Side Dishes : Fruit and Vegetable Salad Recipe. Side dishes are exactly what it is, it complements your main dish or the main entree. While appetizer are the first one to be eaten in a course of meal, of course side dishes are on the side, eaten simultaneously with the main meal. Usually this is eaten during lunchtime or dinnertime and not so much on breakfast. Although I know some people who eat vegetable salad or fruit salad as a breakfast meal as they prefer to eat healthy starting it very early.

Healthy green salads and fruit salads are the best side dishes as they are healthy and will go alongside with your other meal specially the meat, pork, beef, poultry and fishes which are included in full meal. Sometimes fruit salad are eaten after the meal as a dessert.

• Always prefer fruits and vegetables that are fresh or organic
• Wash them properly
• Remove the peelings wisely as some nutrients are in the peel of some fruits like cantaloupe etc.
• Preferably, you should make your own dressing and make it prior to eating the green vegetable salad

Here I will show you how to make vinaigrette as an addition for green vegetable salad, poppy seed salad dressing,

Avtually there are many ways which you can dress your salad according to your own taste.

Fruit and vegetable salads are healthy because they are :

• Rich in fiber
• Rich in Vitamins specially carotene, Vitamin A, C and other essential vitamins which are good for the skin, hair and natural glow in our body system
• They are easily digestible
• Rich in antioxidants which can reduce the risk of various cancer (further research for this is needed)

Why are green salads advisable for side dishes?

• They can be easily prepared, and you don't need to become a good cook to prepare it
• green salads can be mixed with your preferred sauce and mixed seasonings which are relative easier to prepare as well. Some just buy the prepared salad dressing and there you go, they can be prepared in a jiffy
• Green salads or the fresh vegetables side dishes are light and it is lesser in calorie count, which when you eat the main meal, it is an additives to the total calorie intake in lesser amount
• Fruit salads are easily prepared as well and when properly mixed with the fruits of your choice, then it is very delicious. Of course fruit salads are healthy too.

You will need :

List of vegetables you can put :

• one half cup mushrooms,
• one medium sized onions
• two green bell pepper or the red one
• one cup spinach, 2 medium sized cucumber
• one grasp of hand lettuce
• two medium sized. tomatoes
• two medium sized carrots
• one grasp of your hands celery.

Note: Depending on how many people will eat and how many will they eat and the trick here is that you need to know what combinations of green vegetables you like

Directions :

• Wash the fresh green vegetables thoroughly and diced or cut accordingly
• Mixed them in a bowl and put it aside

Make the vinaigrette dressing for the green salad

• Prepare olive or canola oil, three table spoonful
• mustard three table spoonful
• vinegar (rice vinegar) or balsamic or the red wine vinegar (your choice), one half cup

Directions for vinaigrette as salad dressing for Green Salad Vegetable : My style

• Mixed and whisk them properly in this sequence, first put the vinegar in the mixing bowl, then put the mustard next and stir it with a mixer while you are mixing, just drop the oil little by little, until it is well mixed. Then put a little pinch salt to taste and pepper.
• Mixed it with the fresh vegetable you set aside in a bowl.
• Serve it cold, or immediately

Spinach no doubt is one of the healthiest green vegetables and the consumption of it is steadily rising. it is rich in Iron and whole lots of Vitamins specially Vitamin A and an antioxidants. The USDA specified that it is one of the riches source of needed nutrients in our body from Vitamins to Minerals, Calcium and omega fatty 3 acids.

Spinach as a healthy green side dish which when mixed with other fruits is good as best side dish :

Baby Spinach with Strawberry Salad

You will be needing :

• I bag of Baby Spinach, wash thoroughly
• sliced strawberries (3 cups)
• Mixed it ina bowl

How to make Poppy Seed Dressing of Spinach Salad with strawberry

• three tablespoonful of canola oil or olive oil
• one cup cranberry juice
• one half cup honey
• onions chopped
• dry mustard and one half table spoon iodized salt
• Two table spoonful poppy seed

Mixed all the first five ingredients in a closed jar, and then when fully mixed after shaking it, add the poppy seed and you're done  -- easy as that. Mixed it with the bowl with the spinach and strawberry, and enjoy it as a side dish.  

Ingredients :

• onions, chopped one fifth of a cup
• avocado (two medium sized) diced
• one cup lemon juice
• canola or oilve oil, four table spoonful
• garlic, chopped two tablespoonful
• one fourth ot teaspoon, ground pepper
• cucumber two medium sized cut and dices
• two medium sized tomato cut and diced

Directions :

• Put the avocado in a mixing bowl, then put the lemon juice,  and the cucumber and the tomatoes
• Mixed it with a spoon
• Put the onions (chopped0
• In a separate small covered bottle mixed and shake the folowing : ground pepper, olive oil and garlic
• After shaking it and it is well mixed pour it in the salad bowl.
• Mixed and serve

Ingredients :

• spinach hand cut two cups
• onions one medium sized cut like rings
• lettuce two cups
• one half cup spoon
• one third cup rice vinegar
• two teaspoon soy sauce
• two teaspoon olive oil
• two tablespoons sesame (toasted)
• ground pepper and salt based on your taste

You can add boiled egg if you want.

Directions :

• Wash the vegetable before cutting them and put them in a mixing bowl. Mixed all the ingredients in a glass jar except the ground pepper and the salt. Pour the mixed ingredients in the green salad bowl mixed. Put pepper and salt according to your taste. Put it in the refrigerator and serve it when cold.
• You can also put boiled egg and sliced it like rings, same as the onion and out on top of the salad

Ingredients for seaweeds or fern green salad:

Seaweeds or ferns can be bought from fresh market or supermarket (if it is frozen thaw it, if fresh, wash ti thoroughly in a sink and removing all the hairy things)

• mayonnaise one half bottle medium size
• lime juice one fourth cup
• one half cup rice vinegar
• onions refined (two medium sized)
• garlic six cloves flattened
• tomatoes two medium sized cut lengthwise (optional)
• sugar (to taste)
• pepper
• salt (to taste)

Directions :

Put the seaweeds in a bowl. Mix the dressing and put all the ingredients in a separated bowl where you can mixed them. Add the salt, pepper and sugar to taste.

You can also look at the vinaigrette dressing recipe above for this seaweed or fern salad.

You will need fresh fruits for ingredients

• grape fruit cut into half one cup
• strawberry cut into half one cup
• cantaloupe cut into bite sized
• one half of the whole pineapple cut into bite sized
• two banana the wonder fruit, cut into bite sized
• one cup juice -- mango juice or pineapple juice
• sticks for skewing the fruit

Directions :

• Mixed all the fruits in a bowl, then pour the concentrated juice
• You can put the fruits into stick to make it presentable or just mixed them together, then you have a healthy fruit salad, eat right away or put in the refrigerator for one hour before serving

Or if you want a sweeter one yet healthier then you can also :

Mixed a condensed milk with the preferred choice of fruits or combinations, plus unsweetened sugar, then mixed it in a bowl and put the fruit sald in a bowl in the refrigerator for one hour before eating it. Serve it cold.

Ingredients :

• two young coconut shredded or coconut gel (bought at supermarkets or Asian stores)
• one cup cherry fruit
• one cup strawberry
• one cup pineapple chunks
• one cup grapes
• two medium sized apple Cut and diced
• two all purpose cream medium cans
• two condensed milk

Directions :

• Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and then put the sugar, condensed milk and the all purpose cream. Mixed it carefully. If you bought the fresh shredded coconut, then it is good, but if not, then you can buy the preserved coconut gel instead. Keep it refrigerated until you eat it. Serve it cold as a side dish or dessert.