Rainbow Veggie, Peach, and Basil Chopped Salad
The ultimate make-every-single-day family-sized summer salad. No high- calorie items so it's perfect to pair with anything! Or add chicken and eat a huge portion as a meal. (What I did every time!)
Servings: 2 -4
Calories: 70kcal
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups Mixed greens chopped! (200g) I like spring mix or a mixture of spring mix and arugula- chopped is key!
- 3/4 cup Diced cucumber (100 g)
- 3/4 cup Corn sliced off the cob (100 g) see note below*
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes, halved (100g)
- 1 cup Bell peppers, diced (100 g) I prefer orange, yellow, or red
- 2/3 cup Diced peaches (100 g) when out of season, apples, grapes, strawberries, pears -- and just about any fruit could fill in!
- 1/2 cup Diced red onion (60 g)
- 1/4 cup Fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 3 Tbsp. Fresh mint leaves chopped (I keep a plant of each in a pot in my kitchen window so I won't forget to add to all of my salads. Fresh herbs are everything!
- 2 Tbsp. Your favorite balsamic VINEGAR.** (30g)
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and several grinds of fresh cracked pepper (more to taste)
Additional items to have available for everyone to throw on their own salads- but not included in the macros. I prefer not to toss in these higher calorie items so I can control IF/how much I want of each.
- Grilled chicken like this basil lemon honey one
- Avocado
- Shaved parmesan chopped mozzarella, or blue cheese
- Bacon
- Balsamic glaze drizzle! key!
Instructions
- Grab a handful of greens at a time and chop on a large cutting board- transfer to large bowl.
- Add the rest of the veggies, fruits, and herbs- and don't underestimate the importance of everything being chopped small! It's the key to NOT needing a rich salad dressing over all of these veggies.
- Top with a good pinch of kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, and quality balsamic vinegar. Toss!
Notes
- *I usually microwave my corn in the husk for about 4 minutes, then peel it off under cold water to cool it quickly. But raw or however you cook it is great!
- ** I don't even use a vinaigrette or any oil. Just my favorite balsamic vinegar! But I do have a couple of specialty white balsamics that I love from a local shop. My favorites are peach, lemon, and pineapple. SO GOOD. I can't find mine online, but here's one on amazon that gets good reviews. I just toss the whole salad in a couple of tbs which is like 6-8 carbs, and offer other bottled dressings if anyone in the family wants to add additional dressing to their own bowl. I prefer to save my fats for the avocado, some parmesan... or dessert later! When everything is chopped so small with all of those veggies, fresh herbs, and plenty of salt (releases the juices in the veggies) and pepper... it's already amazing!
- This makes four small side salad portions- I could probably eat 3/4 of it with chicken for my dinner!
- If you don't track macros and/or use a food scale, just do a big handful of a each 100 g item and a smaller handful of the others. Can't really go wrong! Just being precise for the sake of tracking.
- If you DO track, you can make as directed and search "Lillie Eats and Tells Rainbow Veggie, Peach, and Basil Chopped Salad" in My Fitness Pal and log as many grams of salad as you take!
Nutrition
Serving: 200g | Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.1g | Protein: 2.6g | Fat: 0.7g