Salad takes center stage

When we think of a salad we think of it as an appetizer or a side dish to accompany a meal. By the time we are done pouring on the salad dressing our healthy side dish now packs more calories and fat than our main course! I have dabbled in homemade salad dressings in the past but since we have embraced Eat To Live I am making new ones every week. A salad can be a delicious and healthy main course. Don't be afraid to make a salad with lots of vegetables and herbs. Salads should be fun. And you can't eat too many vegetables so go nuts!

I am getting over being sick and wanted something light and easy for dinner. I thought a salad with roasted balsamic chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and shrimp would satisfy quite nicely.


Salad Ingredients


Chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 yellow squash chopped small
1 tomato diced
5 green onions diced
Snow pea pods cut in half
3-4 fresh basil leaves diced
Bean sprouts (the lovely Natalie Royster-Jensen grew her own and shared with me)
1 can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
Balsamic vinegar
Pepper
Pam non stick spray
Shrimp medium sized pealed and deveined tails removed
Granulated garlic
Lime juice


Dressing ingredients


Lime juice
Balsamic vinegar
Apple cider vinegar
Water
1 tbsp of Tahini
1/2 tbsp of olive oil
Pepper
Basil
Parsley
Agave nectar (just a drizzle)

They will be dry and just starting to split

Coat a baking sheet with Pam and pour the garbanzo beans onto the baking sheet and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with pepper. Push the beans around on the pan till they are well coated. Put in the oven and broil till the liquid is gone and beans have started to split. I have a low and high broil setting so I started on low then switched to high for a few minutes then they were done. 

Boil the shrimp till pink and no longer translucent. Drain and put back in the pot but removed from heat. Sprinkle with granulated garlic, pepper and lime juice. 

Shrimp take just a couple minutes to cook 

In a big bowl add the lettuce, basil and veggies.

And now for the dressing! If you don't have Tahini don't worry. You can make the dressing without it. But Tahini is excellent in salad dressings, hummus and Mediterranean cooking. To find it go to the peanut butter section of your grocery store. We looked for it forever! Who would have thought it would be there??? But now you know so you won't be wandering around the store looking for Tahini!  :)

Save dressing in fridge for up to 1 week

Put all the ingredients for the dressing except the water into a food processor. I didn't put measurements on the vinegars and lime juice because it varies depending on your tastes and how much dressing you want. Practice and experiment. Blend well. Add water if needed. 

Lightly pour some dressing on the salad and mix well. This allows you to lightly dress the whole salad and not overdress it. Add the roasted chickpeas. Serve on plates with the shrimp on top.

You don't have to adapt the whole Eat to Live lifestyle to start eating more healthy. We all can benefit from eating more fruits and vegetables. Instead of sticking your salad on the sidelines, try moving it center stage as the main course!