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Care to add fruits to your salads?

Whether as garnish or key ingredient, adding a sweet touch to your greens can elevate them to a whole other level

One of the major ways of surviving change is to simplify your life. Strip away the things that are too complicated and go back to the basics. I still want to create the majority of my meals at home, but they have to be practical while still being tasty. Meals that do not require much cooking are an added joy - you know, when there are no pots to wash up. Enter salads.
One of the things I love to do is experiment with salads. A great way to do so is to add different fruits to them. Salads, as a meal, have become so popular because the addition of a bit of protein turns mere leafy greens from goat food into a delicious dish. Adding fruit elevates that meal into a gastronomic experience worthy of an epicure. Plus, it is one of the best ways to eat fruit.
Adding fruit to a salad with protein - whether eggs, poultry, meat, fish, cheese or nuts - is a move of pure genius. It allows even diabetics to have a bit of fruit, while controlling a blood sugar spike with the ingestion of protein in the same meal as the fruit. Of course, diabetics should use lower carb/sugar fruits and only in very small quantities. That means that, if you are a diabetic, treat the fruit in the salad as a garnish - a few pieces dotted on the top for visual appeal - rather than as a main ingredient (that is, using larger quantities throughout).
This week, I am sharing two 'salad as a meal' recipes that not only incorporate fruits, but also make your mouth water. Eat now and thank me later!

Mango Salad
This is, by far - and in my opinion - the best mango salad ever created. No need for any dressing. That's how great it is. Plus, you can cut the calories easily as well.

Serves: 1
Ingredients
The season's best ripe mango (just slightly firm enough to slice)
Romaine lettuce
Cucumber
Feta cheese

Method
Wash the mango, lettuce and cucumber well.
Peel the mango and slice it into bite-sized pieces.
Cut watermelon into slices, and cut the feta cheese into cubes.
Tear the lettuce into the bottom of a salad bowl or plate. Add sliced cucumber and top with feta, mango and watermelon.
Serve and enjoy!

I often try to do batch cooking so that I can have a collection of cooked items that I can put together during the week. This makes making salad as a meal a no-brainer, with little effort and maximum results - like this next recipe.

Jerk Chicken Waldorf Salad
After cooking a batch of jerk chicken on the grill, I was inspired to make a Jerk Chicken Waldorf Salad. (You can log on to www.chefandsteward.com and search for "Real Jamaican Jerk Seasoning recipe" for the homemade seasoning recipe.) Once you make the rub, be sure to make 2-3 chickens spatchcocked on the grill or roasted in the oven. Then, with the leftovers (you will need to use at least two chickens to have any leftovers), you can make this salad.

Serves: 1-4
Ingredients
Cooked jerk chicken
Red globe grapes
Gala apples
Celery
Leaves of romaine lettuce
Roasted peanuts
Mayonnaise
Himalayan pink salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

Method
Cut the jerk chicken into cubes.
Halve and deseed the grapes. Cube the apples, and cut celery into slices.
Combine with lettuce and peanuts, then add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com