A healthy and delicious side or a light snack!
You will hear dietitians say that you must include a lot of vegetables and fruits with different colors in your diet, in order to get all the necessary ingredients your body needs to be healthy and energized. I will take this one step further and say that I believe we need to eat a lot of aromatics too!
This salad has a lot of green herbs! When you’re over your kitchen counter and cut a bunch of parsley or dill on your chopping board, instantly you can smell the aroma being released from the fresh, juicy stems. What happens is, you’re actually inhaling many different chemical compounds. These compounds are the ingredients that make enormous good to your body and offer a lot of antioxidants and protection from free radicals.
So… finally, after two weeks of postponing and finding all sorts of excuses, I found the courage to go to the gym. (Actually, it was a friend of mine that called me and ask me to go to the gym together, otherwise I don’t know if I would have found the mental strength to go by my own). While being there, I was constantly wondering if I was the only one sucking in my belly! You see, I ate a lot these holidays. A LOT. Almond snow cookies, Xmas scented cake with fluffy vanilla buttercream, a few mars inspired cupcakes, all were just some of the sweets that made their way through my hungry voracious mouth. Not to mention my mom’s spaghetti Bolognese which has some hidden spices to make it extra tasty, warm and comforting! You can’t have just one plate of this. You just can’t. Anyway, after all this debauchery I think it’s time for some healthier options and some greens which help in keeping our bellies flat and detoxify our body.
For this recipe I use a combination a four herbs. Parsley, dill, chervil and green onions build an extra healthy aromatic bouquet of greens and can transform any green salad into something exceptional! Seriously, try them inside your favorite green salad for a nice change! Maybe chervil is the one many people are not so well familiar with, but nowadays I think it’s a little easier to find. I usually buy a bunch of each, wash them, dry them well and keep them wrapped with kitchen paper in plastic bags inside my fridge. Stored this way, they can last up to a week.
And here they are, by the order they’re mentioned above!
These herbs make this salad taste AMAZING and they pair really well with the cheese and the slightly roasted almonds (briefly roasting the almonds is totally optional though!) The same herbs go inside my mini feta cheese balls for an unbelievable taste, freshness and some extra nutrients just so you can justify yourself for when picking one more 🙂
Some notes:
The cheese and almonds really help in satiating your appetite. But you can also add some boiled chicken and make it a light dinner or lunch.
Can’t resist a fresh salad? You should definitely try this orange, lettuce and mango salad; it’s by far one of my favorites, especially for special occasions!
- 8 lettuce leaves, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 sliced tomato or 4 -6 cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup almonds (optionally slightly roasted)
- 4 oz (110 grams) gruyere cheese in small cubes (or another hard cheese of your preference)
- 1 cup chopped herbs mix (parsley, dill, chervil, green onions)
- 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or other vinegar of your choice)
- A pinch of salt
- Combine all the ingredients together in big bowl and mix well.
- Eat!
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