What kind of food do you especially want in early spring? Varied, light and colorful. It's time to exchange hearty salads with mayonnaise for salads with light dressings! We have prepared for you the best recipes for this spring - fragrant, fresh, healthy and absolutely easy to prepare!
Feta and rice
A warm, light Mediterranean salad with delicate feta cheese and aromatic olives can serve as an independent dish or become a light snack before dinner or lunch. To prepare you need to take:
- chicken stock - 0.5 liters;
- rice (you can take white, red or brown) - 1 full glass;
- basil and parsley - 50 grams each;
- cherry tomatoes - 10-12 pieces;
- onions - 1 pc.;
- olives (it is better to take pitted olives) - about 100 grams;
- feta cheese - 150 grams (if you wish, you can take more).
For refueling, you need half a cup of quality olive oil, a little lemon juice - about two tablespoons, pepper and salt to taste - all these ingredients need to be mixed. After that, rice should be boiled in the broth. To taste, you can add salt and your favorite spices to it. Greens and onions must be chopped medium-sized. Each tomato and olive must be cut into two parts. In a deep salad bowl, boiled warm rice, tomatoes and olives, greens and onions should be mixed. Stir, and then add the feta, which must first be cut or crumbled. Then you need to season the salad. Done!
Turkey and vegetables
Tired of feasts with heavy appetizers and salads dressed with mayonnaise? A puff salad with turkey and vegetables is what you need. It is not only delicious, but also incredibly healthy. In addition, this salad is light, it will not add extra pounds to you. You need to take the following products:
- turkey (it needs to be boiled and cooled in advance) - 80-100 grams;
- two large cucumbers and tomatoes;
- eggs (chicken or quail - boiled) - 2 pcs.;
- a couple of tablespoons of any oil (we advise you to take unrefined - it will give the dish an amazing flavor);
- some lemon juice;
- a bunch of greenery;
- sea salt.
To get started, prepare a dressing: mix oil, lemon juice and spices. Then chop the turkey and tomatoes into small pieces, grate the cucumber on a coarse grater. Be sure to squeeze the juice! The yolks must be separated from the proteins and grated separately from each other on a fine grater. Greens should be chopped. It is not necessary to do this with a knife - you can either tear it with your hands or cut it with scissors. Take beautiful transparent salad bowls and lay the salad in layers in this order:
- turkey;
- cucumber;
- some refueling;
- tomato;
- yolks;
- greens;
- refueling;
- protein.
Garnish the salad with slices of bell pepper and herbs. Easy and tasty salad is ready!
Tuna and apples
Which salad comes to mind first when you think about fish salad? Of course, “Herring under a fur coat” and “Mimosa”. But they need to tinker a lot. We offer to prepare a light holiday salad of tuna. Its main highlight is the presentation method. But first things first! To prepare a dish according to this recipe you need to take:
- canned tuna (preferably in its own juice) - 250 grams;
- red onion - 1 pc.;
- apples (we recommend taking juicy and sweet) - 2 pcs.;
- ripe lemon - 1 pc.;
- celery - 2 stalks;
- two teaspoons of sour cream (you can take mayonnaise or white yogurt instead);
- Dijon mustard - a teaspoon;
- pepper and sea salt to taste.
In a cup, you must mix mustard, sour cream and tuna. While the fish is pickling, you need to cut the caps from the apples, cut the cores. You should get cups. Inside, apples should be rubbed with a slice of lemon or greased with lemon juice with a brush. So the apple will not turn black. The pulp of apples (of course, without cores) needs to be cut into small pieces or mashed with a fork and combined with tuna. Chop the onion and celery and add to the salad. All the ingredients need to be mixed well, add pepper and salt, put into apple cups. Easy salad is ready!
Arugula and cherry
Looking for a light salad dressing for dinner? Try to cook a low-calorie, but incredibly tasty salad, which includes arugula, tomatoes and aromatic dressing. For him you will need:
- cherry tomatoes - 250-300 grams;
- a bunch of arugula weighing about 20 grams;
- 40 grams of lettuce (we recommend adding Corn and Iceberg to this dish);
- one medium-sized carrot;
- a little parmesan - enough 30 grams;
- any vegetable oil - 4 tablespoons;
- apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) - a teaspoon;
- mustard - half a teaspoon;
- salt to taste.
You should start with carrots - you need to wash, peel and grate them with a thin long straw. Cherry should be cut into 4 parts, not forgetting to remove the stem. The salad must be washed very thoroughly, dried with paper towels, then torn by hand. The next step is preparing the dressing: in a small jar you need to combine the oil, vinegar and mustard, add a little pepper and salt. Then tightly close the jar with a lid and shake it well. It should be a thick, muddy sauce. Refuel this light salad before serving. Otherwise, tomatoes will give too much juice.
Bacon and cherry
Need a recipe for a light salad that will be satisfying and savory? Try making a dish with nuts, cherries and bacon! At first glance, the combination of ingredients may seem rather strange, but do not rush to conclusions! Just try this delicious salad! For him, you need to prepare such products:
- bacon - three slices;
- boiled eggs - 2 pcs.;
- salad - a large bunch;
- apple and pear - 1 pc.;
- dried cherry (if desired, you can replace this berry with cranberries) - 50 grams;
- walnuts or pecans - 30 grams;
- olive or other oil - a teaspoon.
Separately, you need to prepare the components for the sauce:
- a third of a glass of low-fat sour cream or natural yogurt;
- sugar (preferably brown) - 2 tbsp. l .;
- balsamic cream - 1 tbsp. l .;
- pepper and salt.
This light salad is easy to prepare: you need to cut the bacon into very small cubes, fry in oil for 5-8 minutes and transfer to a paper towel to get rid of excess fat. Salad should be torn, fruit and eggs are cut into small pieces. At the bottom of the salad bowl you need to lay the lettuce leaves, put rows of fruits, berries, eggs, nuts, bacon on top of the rows. Using a whisk, mix all the ingredients for the sauce and pour the salad dressing. Done!
Liver and corn
Do you want to treat yourself to something tasty and light, but at the same time do not spend a lot of time preparing a dish? The recipe for a light salad with liver is what you need! In addition, you can eat it for dinner - and not get better a gram! Take the following products:
- liver (chicken or beef) - 300 grams;
- canned corn - one can;
- chicken eggs (boiled) - 2 pcs.;
- natural yogurt - 3-4 tablespoons;
- mustard - a teaspoon with a slide;
- corn oil - a tablespoon;
- salt and pepper.
We start preparing salad from the liver - we clear it of the films and cook for a couple. Of course, you can fry it or boil it, but then the salad will lose all its lightness. Also - for a couple - we cook and scrambled eggs. Corn is thrown back into a colander. We cut the liver and omelet with thin strips. We combine in the salad bowl all the ready-made ingredients. Then you need to make the sauce for the salad - of course, light. In a bowl, combine mustard, yogurt, butter and spices. You can add a little dry garlic. Mix everything well and season the salad.
Bacon and lime
We bring to your attention one more light salad without mayonnaise. It combines bacon with cottage cheese and surprisingly tasty (and no less light!) Dressing. The list of products is simple:
- bacon - 4 slices;
- a small head of salad;
- avocado - 1 pc.;
- cherry tomatoes - 10-12 pcs.;
- canned corn - half a can;
- cottage cheese (not very high-calorie) - 100 grams.
Take care of the availability of refueling components:
- any vegetable oil and apple cider vinegar - a quarter cup;
- lime juice (freshly squeezed) - a couple of tablespoons;
- sugar - two teaspoons;
- some salt.
Cut the bacon medium-sized, fry in oil and cool. Cut each tomato into two parts. Avocados need to be cut into cubes, and the salad is torn into small pieces. Mix all the ingredients in a salad bowl. In a separate bowl, combine everything for refueling, mix thoroughly. Season the salad and serve. Enjoy your meal!
Cabbage and apples
It is difficult to imagine a simpler and easier salad in a hurry than cooked according to this recipe. It is perfect even for those who carefully monitor their figure. In addition, this salad is full of vitamins that the body needs so much in spring! Prepare the following products:
- apple and carrot - 1 pc.;
- half a small head of cabbage;
- aromatic sunflower oil - to taste.
The carrots must be grated coarsely. You can chop the apple into thin strips, or rub it in the same way as carrots. Cabbage needs to be chopped. We combine all products, season with oil. If desired, you can add black pepper - it is advisable to grind it right before dressing. But we recommend giving up salt. Easy coleslaw is ready!
Quinoa, fruits and vegetables
This Asian-style salad is a great way to diversify your family lunch or dinner. Cooking this dish does not take much time, and it is eaten even faster! You can serve this dish both warm and cold. Take these products:
- quinoa - one cup;
- half a cup of mung bean;
- Mango, sweet pepper - 1 pc.;
- half a red onion;
- a quarter cup of raisins and chopped almonds;
- a quarter cup of balsamic vinegar;
- zest of two lemons or limes;
- to taste, you can add greens to the salad (we recommend it is cilantro - it will give the salad a piquant and fresh taste);
- some sea salt.
Quinoa and beans should be boiled - in accordance with the instructions. Cut the pepper and mango into small cubes. Then we prepare the sauce - mix the zest and vinegar, whisk with a whisk. Next, you need to mix in a beautiful salad bowl all the ingredients for the salad, add a little salt, mix and pour the dressing.
Shrimp and Bacon
This salad has a very delicate and at the same time exquisite taste. In order to cook it, you need to take:
- shrimp - 200 grams (they should be cleaned in advance);
- bacon - 4 slices;
- two eggs;
- avocado - 1 pc.;
- canned corn - half a can;
- cottage cheese - 100 grams;
- salad to taste;
- any aromatic oil - a couple of tablespoons.
In order to season this light salad in haste, you will need:
- cilantro - a small bunch;
- juice of one lime or lemon;
- garlic - a pair of cloves;
- two tablespoons of oil and apple cider vinegar;
- pepper and salt.
Cooking
It’s worth starting with shrimps - we spread them on parchment, gently sprinkle with oil and bake in a preheated oven for no more than five minutes. While seafood is being prepared, you need to cut the bacon and fry it, it should become crispy. Boiled eggs must be cut into cubes, like avocados. We lay the lettuce leaves at the bottom of the salad bowl - you can first tear them up with your hands, lay out the corn mixed with cottage cheese. The next layer is shrimp, followed by avocado bacon, eggs. Separately, mix all the products for dressing, mix, add salt and whisk with a whisk. Water the salad. Done!