FARGO — Happy New Year! As we navigate away from the excess of the holiday season toward a more measured and sensible culinary regimen, here are three of my favorite salad “reset” recipes to help kickstart a healthy and nutritious new year.
These recipes are anything but boring and feature a variety of flavors, textures and colors to tempt our palates throughout this transition, while maintaining a healthy balance of protein, vegetables and fats.
ADVERTISEMENT
The recipes can easily be doubled for large batches, and they hold up well over several days. Hearty, filling and — most importantly — delicious, these are the salads we will be eating throughout January to atone for our holiday indulgences. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do and wish you a healthy and delicious New Year.
1. Tuscan Bean Salad
This Tuscan Bean Salad recipe came out of our former restaurant, Sarello’s, where it was often featured as a side dish with a variety of fish specialties, like grilled salmon and walleye cakes. It was always a hit with our guests, many of whom requested the recipe to make at home.
With just six ingredients, this rustic salad is simple to make and even easier to eat. The combination of creamy white beans, sun-dried tomatoes, celery and red onion provides a terrific blend of flavor of texture, and a simple dressing of extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar gives the dish a zesty punch of tangy acidity.
Cannellini beans are the base of this dish, but you could also use Navy or Great Northern Beans, and in the summer months I will often add fresh sweet corn to the mix. The recipe yields a big batch of salad, and it holds up well in the refrigerator, so you can enjoy it over several days. It pairs well with fish, shellfish and grilled chicken, either on the side or tossed together for a healthy main course.
2. Albacore Chopped Salad
I make this salad every January, and it is so delicious and satisfying that it almost feels like I am cheating on my healthy eating resolution. Like the Tuscan Bean Salad above, this recipe utilizes white beans, sun-dried tomatoes, celery and red onion, but also includes canned albacore tuna, creamy avocado, fresh parsley and Romaine lettuce.
A lovely homemade Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette is added at the end to pull all the flavors together. The original recipe featured a raw egg, but I have found that Dijon mustard works just as well and is better received by a greater audience. The dressing can be made up to a week in advance and I often make a double batch to use with other salads and fish dishes.
ADVERTISEMENT
3. Roasted Sweet Potato and Barley Salad
I hosted a weekly soup and salad sale from my home this fall, and this Barley Sweet Potato Salad was my most requested recipe of the series. This hearty salad is full of flavor and features a wonderfully savory blend of barley, roasted sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, blue cheese, green onion and baby spinach, tossed in a tangy Cranberry Vinaigrette.
For added warmth, I toast the sliced almonds and toss the sweet potatoes in ground cumin before roasting them. This barley salad is full of fall flavors but is delicious enough to eat in any season.
If you would like a printable copy of these recipes, visit my website at sarahnasello.com , check out the individual recipe articles on inforum.com or send me a request via email to sarahnasello@gmail.com .
The Trust Project
