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 A colorful side salad can round out a
meal. A bountiful salad can be the meal! Any time of year, salads
are a great way to get your fruits and vegetables and, with a
little creativity, you can make great-tasting salads your family
will enjoy every day.
It's true that "salad"
often means "green" but that's not always the case.
Attractive and colorful salads can be based on grains, fruit
or vegetables, and can be extra fun to eat when you toss in unexpected
additions. Seasonal fruit, such as blueberries, popped into a
salad give a refreshing note of sweetness and color, plus you're
adding extra vitamins and minerals.
You can find fresh blueberries
in the market year-round. Between November and March, excellent
quality blueberries come from South America; in the summer, blueberries
are grown all over North America. Blueberries are the ultimate
in convenience since they never need to be peeled, cored, sliced
or stemmed; just rinse and toss into your salads.
Blueberry Waldorf Salad is a
good example of how blueberries can transform a traditional salad
into a showstopper. It's dotted with blueberries and drizzled
with a beautiful and tasty blueberry dressing. And, with just
a few ingredients, you can toss together Blueberry and Smoked
Trout Salad for an entree with vibrant flavor. Can't find smoked
trout? Smoked turkey is the perfect substitute.
When you have a stash of blueberries
in the fridge or freezer, you're all set to add them to salads
and dressings. Here are a few suggestions for other salads you
can enjoy any time:
- Toss arugula with sliced pears,
blueberries and crumbled blue cheese.
- Top a bed of watercress with
grilled or poached salmon, pink grapefruit sections and blueberries.
- Chill cooked wild rice; toss
in fresh or dried blueberries, slivered dried apricots, celery,
parsley and toasted nuts or sunflower seeds.
- Mix blueberries with chopped
apple, grapes, cucumber and fresh mint.
A whole cup of fresh or frozen
blueberries has just 80 calories and provides fiber, vitamin
C and manganese our bodies need. The government recommends adults
consume 2 cups of fruit every day of the year, and blueberries
contribute to that daily total.
 Go to blueberrycouncil.org to learn more about
blueberries and find dozens of kitchen-tested recipes.
Courtesy of ARAcontent.
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