The beauty of summer is that Great Care takes advantage of all the in-season fruits and vegetables that make salads taste so fresh. And the beauty of summer salads are that they’re healthy for the heart.

For proper heart health, WebMD suggests eating salads to to consume “smart fats.”

“Eating a little good fat (like the monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, avocado and nuts) with your vegetables appears to help your body absorb protective phytochemicals, like lycopene from tomatoes and lutein from dark green vegetables,” WebMD says.

Eating salad, and adding fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and oranges as toppings, boosts your daily dose of antioxidants. Salads are also quick-and-easy to prepare, making more time for summer activities and time with family in the outdoors.

Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

This salad recipe, courtesy of the American Diabetes Association, is simple, colorful and makes a great lunch or side at dinner. “The dressing is delicious, and will go great with just about any salad,” says the ADA. Serves 8. Read more here.

Ingredients
Salad
4 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
½ cup peeled and diced cucumber
1 cup canned black beans

Dressing
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons honey
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Instructions
1. Place the lettuce on a platter. In rows, arrange the carrots, celery, plum tomatoes, cucumber, and black beans.
2. Prepare the salad dressing. Whisk together the cider vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, honey, salt, and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking to incorporate.
3. Drizzle on the dressing. Top with toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

From “The Diabetes Comfort Food Cookbook” by Robyn Webb, MS

Apple and Walnut Chicken Salad with Green Salad

This delicious, no-cook “Simple Cooking with Heart” recipe from the American Heart Association is a combination of two salads. “It’s fresh, sweet, crunchy and creamy and is a satisfying lunch or a light dinner entrée,” the AHA says. Serves 4. Read more here.

Ingredients

Chicken Salad
1/4 cup fat-free, plain yogurt
2 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1/4 tsp salt-free, dried Italian spice blend or dried thyme, dried basil or both combined
2 cups skinless, shredded chicken breast of a rotisserie-cooked chicken
OR
20 oz canned, salt-free white meat chicken (drained)
3 Tbsp chopped, unsalted, uncoiled walnuts (or whatever nuts are on sale)
1/2 cup halved, seedless grapes
OR
sugar-free, dried fruit like prunes or cranberries
1 red (sweeter) or green (more tart) apple, finely chopped

Green Salad
1 head lettuce (green leaf, red leaf or romaine), cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 chopped cucumber (chopped, peeled if desired)
1 large tomato (chopped)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil
1 Tbsp red vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice

Instructions

Chicken Salad
1. Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, and spice blend in a large bowl with a fork.
2. Add chicken, nuts, grapes, and chopped apple. Stir to combine.

Green Salad
1. In a bowl, combine chopped lettuce, cucumber, and tomato.
2. Add oil and vinegar, stirring to combine with salad.
3. Serve salad greens with chicken salad on top.

Quick Tips
Cooking Tip: If you like sweetness, grab a red apple; if sour-tart is more your thing, pick a green one. Also, chopped apples will turn brown very quickly, but the yogurt in the chicken salad will stop this from happening.

Keep it Healthy: Combining a little light mayonnaise with no-fat yogurt is a great way for a delicious and still tasty salad.

Tip: When nuts are on sale, buy more than needed and store in a sealable bag in the freezer to keep fresh.

Recipe copyright © 2016 American Heart Association. This recipe is brought to you by the American Heart Association’s Simple Cooking with Heart ® Program. For more simple, quick and affordable recipes, visit heart.org/simplecooking.

The professionals at Great Care are available to talk with you and your family about all of your home care needs, including respite care. Great Care is a non medical in-home care agency providing quality and affordable elder care in Fishers, IN and the surrounding areas. Call (888) 240-9101 for more information.