Recipe: Chopped Mediterranean Salad

🥗 I’ve kept the ingredients short in this tasty salad recipe, but feel free to add chopped carrots, avocados, your favorite lettuce, or any other veggies you have on hand.

Makes 4 side dish salads.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cucumber, chopped

• 6 cherry tomatoes, chopped and seeds removed

• 2 celery stalks, chopped

• 1 bell pepper, red or yellow, chopped

• ½ red onion, chopped 

• ⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise

• 1 Tbsp olive oil 

• Juice of 1 lemon 

• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place the cucumber, tomatoes, celery, pepper, onion, and olives in a medium bowl. Gently combine.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pour over the veggies and toss to coat. Simple, fresh, and healthy! 

Recipe by: Dr. Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by Vladimir Mironov 

Recipe: Greek Chopped Salad

Have you ever had a chopped salad before? They are the BEST!

Because everything is chopped up into tiny portions, you get deliciousness in every bite and that makes them a lunch to look forward to.

As an added bonus, because of all that chopped goodness, they require less dressing than most other salads, which is perfect if you have a body transformation goal.

TIP: Taking the time to really chop up those ingredients before you put them in the salad bowl pays off!

Feel free to customize this salad recipe to suit your own tastes. Try adding chopped grilled chicken, chopped extra-firm tofu, or stirring in 1 cup of cooked quinoa.

4 Servings

Dressing Ingredients:

• 3 Tbps olive oil

• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano

• ¼ tsp sea salt

• ¼ tsp fresh black pepper

Salad Ingredients:

• 4 oz (112 grams) roasted red peppers, chopped finely (about the same as 1 red pepper)

• 4 cups (170 grams) romaine lettuce, chopped

• 2 small cucumbers, chopped

• 1 cup (150 grams) grape tomatoes, halved

• 2 Tbsp pitted kalamata olives, chopped

• 1 (15 oz / 425 grams) can salt-free cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

• ¼ cup (30 grams) feta or goat cheese, crumbled

• Optional: 8 oz (225 grams) chopped grilled chicken, 1 cup (215 grams) chopped or shredded tofu, and/or 1 cup (185 grams) cooked quinoa

Directions:

1. In a large salad bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients.

2. Next, add all of the salad ingredients EXCEPT the feta cheese, and stir to incorporate the dressing.

3. Top with feta and enjoy!

Photo Credit: Canva by Alex_Petin from Getty Images