I don’t think I could reach and maintain the low body fat percent I’m at and have been at for years, without salad being a significant part of my diet. At least one meal a day for me over the last 10+ years has been a salad of some sort. Salad doesn’t have to be a bunch of lettuce and some boring vegetables. Be creative, and experiment with different combinations of your favorite vegetables, fruits, nuts, proteins, and lettuce. Mixing together ingredients the way a salad does, often brings out the best in them. A simple vinaigrette well with almost any salad. 

In the summer, I love taking advantage of all the fresh produce at the local farmer’s market. Right now, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, and mint are in season, so I decided to build a salad from those ingredients. The result was great.

Ingredients

For salad

2 cups pre-cooked shelled edamame (from Trader Joes)

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups Persian cucumbers, sliced and halved

1 cup radicchio and cabbage, coarsely chopped 

1 cup chic peas

1/4 cup shelled pistachios  

1 cup boiled corn, off the cob

1/2 cup feta cheese (optional)

1/4 cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped 

sea salt, pepper to taste 

For vinaigrette

1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl
2. For the vinaigrette, in a separate bowl gradually whisk the olive oil into the vinegar. Whisk fast so the oil and vinegar don’t separate. 
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix again before serving.

Serves two.