A fit and healthy life cannot be achieved by crash diets or small bursts of exercise. It can only be achieved by persistent efforts over a long period of time. Everyone wants to lose weight, but not everyone is able to do so as it takes discipline and some amount of mindfulness about what goes onto the plate. As we know, diet is a crucial part of fitness and weight loss and it requires one to eat healthy and clean. Working professionals find it especially difficult to lose weight, due to long office hours. However, a little bit of preparation can help you eat healthy even while working in the office. With busy lives and less time to prepare meals, salads definitely come to rescue when you are on a constant lookout for a quick and healthy fix in order to stay energised for day-long activities.
Adding a crunch of happiness and joy to your salads are California walnuts which are an excellent source of essential nutrients for overall well-being. Not only do walnuts add unique flavour and crunch to salads, but also boost the nutrition value helping you getting close to your fitness goals. Here are some quick and easy salad recipes that you can make in order to keep you on track of your fitness regimen.
Romaine (Lettuce) Salad with California Walnuts and Beets
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic minced
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Salad
8 cups of torn romaine leaves
1/2 cup of slivered red onion
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped and
toasted walnuts
1 pack of baby beets, cooked,
peeled and quartered
1/2 cup of shaved Parmesan
cheese
Direction
For vinaigrette, take a large bowl and whisk oil, vinegar, mustard and garlic in it. Season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, put lettuce, onion and half the walnuts. Add the vinaigrette and toss well to coat.
Transfer to four large salad plates. Top with beets, parmesan cheese and remaining walnuts. Season with additional pepper, if desired.
Spinach, Strawberry and California Walnut Salad
Ingredients
2-1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive
oil
2 tablespoons of strawberry
preserves
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
1-1/2 cups of sliced strawberries
1 packet of baby spinach
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped
California walnuts, toasted
1/3 cup of crumbled feta cheese
Direction
Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, preserves and salt in a large bowl. Add strawberries and toss lightly. Place spinach in the bowl and toss again to coat with the dressing. Top with walnuts and cheese and serve immediately.
(To toast walnuts, add the walnuts to a hot, dry pan set over medium heat, only toasting as many walnuts as fit in the pan in a single layer. Cook walnuts, watching constantly and stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes or until the walnuts start to brown and smell fragrant & toasted. Since the walnuts will burn easily in the pan, you must stir constantly to ensure even toasting until the walnuts turn a rich, golden brown. Remove walnuts to a plate or bowl to cool.)
Apple, Feta and California Walnuts Salad
Ingredients
50 g of iceberg, 60 g of arugula
15 g of roasted walnuts
30 g of feta cheese
8 g of olives, 50 g of green apple
30 g sundried tomato dressing
3 ml lemon
For Sundried Tomato Dressing
15 ml of olive oil
30 g of sundried tomato
7 g of garlic, 2 g of basil
5 g of honey, 10 ml of red wine
vinegar, 2 g of crushed pepper, 2 g of salt, 1 bay leaf
Direction
For the dressing, take a pan and add bay leaf, olive oil and garlic and heat it on low flame to infuse the flavours into the oil. Take off the heat and keep aside. Then in a food processor, blend the rest of the ingredients except bay leaf till it is coarsely ground. Take out in a bowl and add the flavoured oil into it. Now in another bowl add the dressing, lemon juice and the salad leaves. Take it out in a plate and then garnish with feta cheese, olive, walnuts and sliced green apple. Serve cold.
Moroccan Carrot Noodle Salad with Chickpeas and California Walnuts
Ingredients
2 large carrots, spiralised (about 4
cups of carrot noodles)
500 gm of chickpeas, drained
and rinsed
1 cup of raisins
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 cup of feta cheese
3/4 cup of chopped walnuts
Direction
In a large bowl, combine carrot noodles, chickpeas and raisins. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, chilli powder, cardamom, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Pour over carrot noodle mixture and toss until everything is coated with the dressing and spices. Top with feta cheese and walnuts to serve.
Refreshing Waldorf Salad with California Walnuts
Ingredients
1/2 cup of non-fat plain yogurt or
1/3 cup of non-fat Greek-style
yogurt
1/2 cup of walnuts
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise,
preferably made with canola oil
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of honey
1 cup of chopped celery
2 medium sized apples, chopped
(about 2-1/2 cups)
Direction
Preheat the oven to 175°C. If using regular yogurt instead of Greek-style yogurt, place it in a strainer lined with a paper towel. Put the strainer over a bowl and place in the refrigerator to drain and thicken for 20 minutes. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8-9 minutes. Set aside to cool; then chop coarsely. In a small bowl, combine the thickened or Greek-style yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice and honey until smooth. In a medium-sized bowl, toss together the toasted walnuts, celery and apples. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.