A Winter Version of Salads

So everybody knows that salad is a great choice for lunch or dinner, hopefully including a protein along with the fiber rich vegetables and low fat choices you've put together. But, its winter time - and a nice, crisp, cold salad just doesn't sound all that appetizing to me on a bitter, windy evening.

Here is my solution: saute your salad! It creates an easy, 10 minute dinner, while getting all of the same nutrients as a salad, but in a comforting, pasta or soup-type way. Plus, no cooking skills are required - just the same chopping and tossing as a normal salad.

To start, spray your pan with olive oil cooking spray, or add a touch of olive oil to heat up over low to medium heat. Start off by cooking onions, carrots, peppers or broccoli first, anything that is thicker in texture and takes a little bit longer to cook through. When those vegetables are just getting soft and have a bit of brown on them, add your mushrooms, maybe some peas, tossing those in the pan and stirring often. Lastly, throw in your tomatoes, spinach and anything that will cook relatively fast. Especially with the heat of the other vegetables surrounding them tomatoes will warm up very quickly and spinach will wilt within a minute or two, just remember to keep stirring or tossing in your pan to ensure all your veggies are cooking equally. Now, add in some salad dressing (you'll find you need much less than on a regular salad), or some balsamic vinegar, or just some salt, pepper and basil if you want. Some melted low-fat mozzarella cheese works very well also, but is not necessary.

I like to add a Boca burger for 15 grams of protein, or maybe some shrimp or some fish to make sure that I get all of the nutrients I need with my dinner. This meal is incredibly satisfying and is nice and low in calories so I don't feel guilty for curling up on the couch with it. There are many variations to experiment with so as not to get bored: add some salsa instead of salad dressing along with some crumbled taco meat for a Mexican night, or throw in some whole wheat pasta and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese for an Italian twist. Any vegetable in your fridge will work, so you can have a different kind every night depending on what you're craving. Hopefully this will keep your winter dinners warm until we start craving nice, light salads again in the summer.