Healthy Herbal Salads
Healthy Herbal Salads can be made in as many ways as you can imagine. You will be limited only in what you can buy in the store or grow in your own garden.
I read somewhere that a head of iceberg lettuce loses 50% of it’s nutritional value within 24 hours of being harvested. I wonder how long it took after the lettuce was harvested to deliver it to the warehouse? How long did it sit there before it made it to the backroom of the grocery store? How long before it was put on the shelf for you to buy?
I like to make my healthy herbal salads from produce that went right from my garden directly to my refrigerator and then to my table. Then I know they’re fresh and nutritious. I also like to know that no chemical pesticides or fertilizers were used on my food. It can be a lot of work raising my own garden but I like to think my family is healthier because of it.
Gardening can also be very relaxing. When I’m feeling stressed out, anxious and sometimes a little angry I get lost in my garden and before I know it I’ve forgotten all about the stress, strain and anger.
As the seasons change you’ll probably find yourself making different kinds of salads. In the spring you’ll be using the tender young leaves as they first emerge from the ground. This is when dandelion greens are tastiest. In summer and autumn you’ll be using more mature plants and those that aren’t available in the spring.
Your healthy herbal salads will taste much fresher and better if you leave the bottled salad dressings at the store and make your own. They are simple, inexpensive and quickly made. You will find some basic recipes in this article which you can customize to your own liking.
For a healthy herbal salad use at least one or more of these greens as the base for your salad.
Spinach
Iceberg lettuce
Dandelion greens, they must be harvested in early spring or late fall or the leaves will be very bitter.
Romaine lettuce
Radicchio lettuce
Boston lettuce
Bibb lettuce
Leaf lettuce
Cabbage, red or green
Here is a good combination to get your healthy herbal salad started.
½ head of romaine lettuce
A small handful of fresh young dandelion leaves
1 small handful of young spinach leaves
Then, add one or more of the following to give your healthy herbal salad color, flavor and texture.
Green or red peppers, thinly sliced
Red onions, thinly sliced
Tomatoes, in bite sized pieces
Radishes, thinly sliced
Carrots, grated
Cucumbers, thinly sliced
Olives
Grilled chicken or turkey strips
Cheese, thinly sliced in strips
Deli beef or ham in thin strips
Cauliflower in bite size pieces
Peas, cooked, chilled and drained
Cooked and chilled asparagus
Boiled eggs, chilled and sliced
Artichoke hearts, canned or cooked fresh and sliced
Smoked oysters
Shrimp
CrabmeatThen add one or more of the following herbs to add subtle flavor to your healthy herbal salad.
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, fresh
1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves, fresh
3 cloves thinly sliced garlic
3 chopped green onions
1 tablespoon oregano leaves, fresh
3 medium mushrooms, sliced
Fennel bulbs, raw and thinly sliced
Rose petals, violets, calendula petals. These are edible and will add color as well as flavor.
Sunflower seeds
Pine nuts
Healthy herbal salad dressing
¼ cup oil
2 tablespoons vinegar (apple cider, red wine, etc)
Juice of 1 lemon or orange or apple juice
½ teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon basil, oregano, chives, parsley or mint leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Red pepper, optional
Mix the healthy herbal salad dressing in a jar or bottle and store in the refrigerator until needed. Shake before using.
Mix the ingredients for your healthy herbal salad in a large bowl, pour dressing over all and mix and serve.
You can change the flavor of your dressing by adding different herbs. If you are using fresh herbs they can be mixed directly into the salad if you prefer. Dry herbs are much stronger than fresh ones so use only about half as much as you would the fresh herbs. Dry herbs should be added to your healthy herbal salad dressing and stored in the refrigerator for an hour or so before
using.
Cole Slaw
1 head green cabbage, grated or chopped
¼ head red cabbage, grated or chopped
1 apple, grated or chopped
Dressing
¾ cup milk
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon oregano or herbs of your choice.
1 serving size package of stevia ( a very sweet herb with little or no calories) or you can use 2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix the ingredients for the dressing. If you used dried herbs you will need to let the dressing stand in the refrigerator for one half to one hour before serving.
To serve the cole slaw toss all ingredients, including dressing in a large bowl and serve cold.
Herbed Tomato and Cucumber Salad
3 large tomatoes cut in bite size pieces
2 small to medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon fresh basil or oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Mayonnaise
Stir all ingredients together and serve cold.
Herbed Potato Salad
4 or 5 large potatoes, cooked, peeled and chopped
4 or 5 eggs, chopped (optional)
1 cup cheese, cut in ½ inch squares
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 can olives, drained and sliced
1 or 2 tablespoons thyme, oregano, parsley or other herbs of your choice
2 or 3 heaping tablespoons pickle relish
2 tablespoons mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup mayonnaise (you may add more if necessary)
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Let stand in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 hours for the flavors to blend. Serve cold.
Herbed Tuna Salad
2 cans white, chunk tuna
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
½ can black olives, chopped
2 boiled eggs, chopped
2 radishes, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh basil, oregano, rosemary or herbs of your choice
2 tablespoons tartar sauce
½ to ¾ cup mayonnaise
Mix all ingredients and serve cold on a bed of lettuce.
Herbed Chicken Salad
2 cans chicken
1 stalk celery
2 green onions, finely chopped
½ can black olives, chopped
2 boiled eggs, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh mint leaves, chopped
½ cup chopped nuts
½ to ¾ cup mayonnaise
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with paprika and store in the refrigerator. Serve cold.
Herbed Macaroni Salad
3 cups cooked macaroni
4 or 5 hard boiled eggs, chopped (optional)
1 cup ham, cut in ½ inch squares
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 can olives, drained and sliced
2 or 3 heaping tablespoons pickle relish
½ cup peas, lightly cooked, chilled and drained
1 tablespoon thyme, oregano, parsley or other herbs of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ to 1 cup mayonnaise (adjust the amount to your taste)
1 tablespoon fresh calendula petals
Mix all ingredients except calendula petals in medium bowl. Sprinkle the calendula petals over the salad. Calendula petals have a light, peppery taste.
Heavens I’m hungry! I love to cook and I love to share my recipes but typing all of these recipes sure makes me hungry. I’ll send more recipes out again but now I gotta eat. See ya.
To find out more about herbs and how to use them visit www.healthyherbalplants.com./