3 Light, Healthy And Balanced Dinner Salads

For me the best dinners are, without a doubt, light and healthy dinners based on vegetables. Creams, purees, stir-fries, baked vegetables … There are thousands of possibilities to prepare vegetables in a fun way. But, in these hot months, the queens of all dinners are salads. Refreshing and light combinations so that we can rest well at night, but that, in turn, are nutritious and comforting.

The secret to making a complete salad that serves as a unique dish and that convinces our appetite is to play with different ingredients :

• Add a little vegetable protein like legumes, tofu, or tempeh.
• Using vegetables prepared differently: raw, baked, sauteed.
• Choose different textures: a creamy avocado, some crunchy nuts, juicy fresh seasonal fruits.
• Use, above all, various sauces and dressings.

Here are three complete salad recipes for dinner:

1. Caponnata with chickpeas

The aubergines are now at their sweet spot. We can prepare with them baba ganoush, hummus, batter them or this delicious caponnata, a typical Sicilian antipasti. To do this, the aubergines are cooked together with the capers, raisins and olives until they are very soft and melt in the mouth. To get a more consistent dish we add chickpeas and some green leaves.

Ingredients for 4 people:

For the caponnata:

• 2 aubergines
• 1 spring onion
• 1 stick celery
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 pear tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 tablespoons of olives
• 2 tablespoon raisins
• 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
• 400 g of cooked chickpeas
• 1 handful of pine nuts
• 2 handfuls of lamb’s lettuce
• Basil to serve
• 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Pepper
• Salt

preparation:

1. Chop the chives. Peel the garlic. Cut the aubergines in quarters lengthwise and then into slices. Peel the tomatoes and cut them into chunks.
2. In a pot, sauté the onion with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic, the aubergines, salt, a little more oil and sauté for about 15 minutes until the aubergines are golden brown.
3. Add the tomatoes, capers, olives and raisins together with the vinegar and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring carefully from time to time so that the aubergines do not break.
4. Add the drained chickpeas and mix everything well.
5. Serve sprinkled with toasted pine nuts, basil, black pepper and a little canon leaves and accompany it with some toasts.

2. Arugula and nectarine salad with coconut labneh and dukkah

This salad is like eating summer on a plate : fresh, exotic, full of different colors, textures and flavors. It has a sweet touch thanks to the fruit, spicy thanks to the spices and acidic thanks to the labneh .

The Labneh is a type of fresh cheese typical of the Middle East that is usually prepared with plain yogurt. It is very easy to make at home and we can also make it in its vegan version with coconut yogurt. We can use it to add creaminess to stews, on toast, with baked vegetables or in salads, as in this case.

For the crunchy touch and protein contribution we can add dukkah , a mixture of nuts and spices originally from Egypt.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g arugula
• 1 red onion
• 2 nectarines
• 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes

For the labneh :

• 500 g of natural coconut yogurt
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the vinaigrette:

• 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoon unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• Black pepper
• Salt

For the dukkah :

• 2 tablespoons of toasted pistachios
• 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• Black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

preparation:

1. Prepare the labneh . In a bowl, mix the yogurt with the salt and lemon juice. Pour the mixture onto a dishcloth or bag to make vegetable milks and place the cloth in a strainer. Put the strainer over a bowl so that there is room underneath and the water can drain. Leave in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. Then remove the water and store the cheese in a container.
2. Prepare the dukkah . In a frying pan, toast the cumin and coriander for about 2 minutes, stirring. Remove from the pan. Toast the sesame for about 2 minutes. Crush the seeds together with the spices, the salt, the black pepper.
3. Wash the fruit and vegetables. Cut the nectarines into slices and the cherry tomatoes in half.
4. In a salad bowl, place the arugula leaves, the nectarine slices and the cherry tomatoes, season with the vinaigrette. Top with Labneh and sprinkle with Dukkah.

3. Vietnamese salad with rice noodles and tempeh

Do you like Vietnamese rolls? Well, surely you will love this salad that is like eating this famous appetizer but in a bowl.

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 200 g of vermicelli rice noodles
• 1 handful of coriander
• 1 tablespoon mint leaves
• 2 buds
• 1 small cucumber
• 1 avocado
• 1 carrot

To marinate the tempeh:

• 250 g tempeh
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons of tamari
• Extra virgin coconut oil or olive oil for frying

For the vinaigrette:

• 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• 8 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons of tamari
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (optional)
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or a pinch of stevia
• A pinch of cayenne chilli

preparation:

1. Dice the tempeh and mix with the tamari and minced garlic and marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the vegetables. Julienne the buds, carrot and cucumber, chop the coriander and mint and dice the avocado.
3. Cook the noodles according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Go through cold water and drain them.
4. Mix all the ingredients for the vinaigrette.
5. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the tempeh for 4-5 minutes until crisp.
6. Assemble the salad: in individual bowls, distribute the vegetables, the noodles, mix with the vinaigrette and top with the tempeh.