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To make the salad not only original, but also useful, our expert has developed a “cheat sheet”.
Each housewife has several favorite salads that she prepares either for specific holidays, as in the case of Olivier, or according to the situation, for example, for a children’s table, for a picnic and even for weight loss. But at some point, the “notebook” with recipes, which is stored in the head, begins to give out its own variations. A variety of ingredients are transformed into a kind of lego-parts, from which you can add anything you want. For different tastes, moods and situations. And then exclusive dishes are born.
But how do you achieve a two-in-one effect? To be both tasty and healthy? Our expert shares his own handwritten cheat sheet for author’s salads, which he calls “KUB”.
What is “CUBE”?
It is an abbreviation that includes the three most important words: fiber, carbohydrates, protein. This is what is the base of any salad, which will not only give you a feeling of fullness and delight you with a combination of certain flavors, but will also bring maximum benefit.
Associatively, it is like one of the details of the constructor, a cube, a cube … And, remembering the Lego salad, you will definitely not forget the products that form the basis of a healthy dish – fiber, carbohydrates, proteins, that is, CUB, says Valentina Churaeva.
Of course, here it is important to say about vitamins and microelements, if we are talking about the “right” salad that will saturate us, give us energy and make us healthier. But when we say “fiber”, we mean both vitamins and minerals that are found in vegetables, fruits, and cereals.
Protein products – meat, cottage cheese, fish, legumes – also provide us with a certain portion of vitamins and minerals. As, however, and carbohydrates are not only carbohydrates. For example, many fruits are a source of glucose, that is, fast carbohydrates, vitamins and a wide variety of trace elements. Therefore, for ease of memorization, let us remember one word – KUB. And we begin to collect our Lego salad.
K – Fiber
The fiber in the salad is something to strive for. So much has been said about its benefits that it can be summed up in a few words: it is the best food for a healthy intestine and a gift for immunity.
If there are no serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, in the salad, fiber can be represented by vegetables and fruits with a complete absence or minimal content of starch – cucumbers, radishes, green apples, peppers, beets, carrots, cabbage, green beans, asparagus, sprouted grains, leafy salads, various onions varieties, greens. Potatoes, which are often added to salads “nourishing”, is still a story about starch, carbohydrates, and not about fiber. Gastronomy trendsetters recommend using berries in salads. And it is now fashionable to fry a little on the grill, without oil, to give the salad a piquant taste.
It’s interesting when the taste of blueberry or black currant is mixed with the taste of radish or zucchini, says Valentina. – But this is more for lovers of unusual sensations. Rarely does an exotic combination become a favorite. But to surprise guests with a cucumber salad with mint leaves – why not? By the way, this salad is really delicious.
U – Carbohydrates
The world of carbohydrates is large and varied. When Russian people began to travel the world, they learned that boiled pasta, crackers, and cereals can be added to salads. Moreover, it turned out that there are overseas crops such as bulgur and quinoa. And that they, too, can be an element of a tasty and healthy salad.
For five years now I have not consumed foods that contain gluten, ”says Valentina. – Therefore, many cereals are prohibited for me. But I gladly add a handful of boiled rice, a couple of baked or boiled potatoes, a glass of canned corn to salads.
By the way, if you decide to send pasta to the salad, choose those made from durum wheat so as not to turn the salad into porridge.
B – Proteins
The protein in the salad is, as it were, not necessary, because you can also prepare a light salad with vegetables, herbs, onions, garlic, dressing or oil. But if we are striving for a “complex” in which everything necessary for the body will be, then protein is still needed. How can it be represented in our constructor? Boiled meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, boiled, salted or canned fish, cottage cheese, mushrooms, all kinds of legumes – from green peas and chickpeas to beans and lentils. To the same details we will include eggs in all their variations – boiled, fried, poached. All of these foods work great with “details” that are high in carbohydrates and fiber. Fantasy can be limited only by knowing the reactions of one’s own organism. If mushrooms or beans are heavy on your stomach, swap them out for another protein product, such as boiled chicken and lentils. You can also add smoked meat or fish, but this will no longer be quite a PP salad, but rather a salad with a claim to PP.
An important note about cheese – it is advisable to choose cheese with a fat content of no more than 35 percent in a salad, says Valentina. – Only then will it count towards proteins, not fats. The same goes for seeds and nuts. They contain both protein and fats; what wins in a dish depends on their proportion.
To make the puzzles come together
It is known that in any constructor the parts are arranged in such a way that they are somehow attached to each other. Otherwise, the most beautiful and tallest tower of blocks will crumble from the awkward movement of the builder. The role of “puzzles” in Lego salad is played by oils, or rather, fats. They add integrity to the dish, add a sophisticated flavor note and even induce synergy. With them, certain foods turn from useless into useful, and useful ones into super-useful ones.
For example, vitamin A and vitamin D are fat-soluble, ”says Valentina Churaeva. – And the maximum benefit the same carrots can bring only in the “commonwealth” with fat. We call sour cream, yogurt and vegetable oil fat.
There are many fat-based salad dressings. This is mayonnaise, and the so-called “ketchunez” – a mixture of mayonnaise with ketchup, and a mixture of various oils or yogurt with mustard, vinegar, yolk, herbs, garlic.
Natural vegetable oils are now in abundance, says Valentina. – Sunflower, olive, corn, cottonseed, sesame, camelina, linseed oil, walnut oil, grape seed oil – these types of oil can be bought freely in almost any store.
When choosing an oil, you need to focus on your own taste. Someone adores the aroma of sesame oil, while others cannot stand it. There is absolutely no need to torment yourself, since the base of vegetable oils is almost the same.
But if we talk about healthy eating, then it is better to choose unrefined oils, that is, they have not been processed in all sorts of ways, ” the food blogger advises. – But for those who want to lose weight on salads, it is better to replace vegetable oil with low-fat yogurt or sour cream with a low fat content. Any vegetable oil is almost one hundred percent fat.
Slimming combinations
Salads are often recommended for those looking to lose weight. But here, too, there is a difference between salad and salad. You also need to remember one of the points of Valentina Churaeva’s instructions.
Based on our biorhythms, activity, energy costs, I have determined for myself such a scheme of Lego salads. In the morning it can be a combination of “carbohydrates, proteins, fats” – in decreasing order, naturally. For lunch – proteins, carbohydrates, fiber. Dinner – protein, fiber, ideally represented by green vegetables and any greens. If it so happens that a late dinner is needed, then you can choose something proteinaceous. In reasonable amounts, of course.