Close your eyes, take a bite of this salad, and get ready for your taste buds to be whisked to the sunny Mediterranean. Flame-licked mushrooms add meaty appeal, sautéed tomatoes a sweet treat, bocconcini a creamy hit, chickpeas a satiating protein and fibre addition, while herby pesto dressing rounds everything out.
Nutrition boost
A recent study in International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition found that grilling mushrooms is a good way to preserve their robust levels of healthy antioxidants. Frying and boiling were found to significantly diminish the nutritional firepower of ’shrooms.
Where there’s smoke
These hemp bacon bits are the perfect way to add nutritious smoky flavour to any salad.
1/3 cup (80 mL) hemp hearts 2 tsp (10 mL) liquid smoke 2 tsp (10 mL) low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
Stir together hemp hearts, liquid smoke, and soy or tamari sauce. Let sit for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 250 F (120 C). On baking sheet, spread seasoned hemp hearts out and bake for 12 minutes, stirring once, until darkened and slightly crispy. Be careful not to burn the seeds.
Grilled Mushroom Salad with Pesto Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 mL) thinly sliced red onion
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) granulated cane sugar
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
- 4 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed
- 4 tsp (20 mL) grapeseed or sunflower oil, divided
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) smoked paprika
- 2 cups (500 mL) cherry tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) red wine vinegar
- 8 cups (2 L) baby kale or baby spinach
- 2 cups (500 mL) cooked or canned chickpeas
- 1 cup (250 mL) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
- 4 oz (112 g) bocconcini (mozzarella pearls) or chopped fresh mozzarella
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) pitted and sliced Kalamata olives
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) prepared pesto
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil or camelina oil
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) red wine vinegar
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories535
- protein17g
- fat32g
- saturated fat7g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates44g
- sugars11g
- fibre12g
- sodium683mg
Directions
01
In bowl, place onion slices, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. With your hands, massage onions until tender and pink, about 2 minutes. Chill until ready to use.
02
Heat grill to medium-high. Brush both sides of mushroom caps with 2 tsp (10 mL) oil and season with paprika. Place mushrooms on grill grate and heat until tender with grill marks, about 2 minutes per side. When cool enough to handle, cut mushrooms into 1/2 in (1.25 cm) strips.
03
In skillet over medium, heat remaining oil; add tomatoes and garlic, and heat until tomatoes have softened and begun releasing their juices, about 3 minutes. Stir in red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
04
To make dressing, whisk together pesto, olive oil, and vinegar.
05
To assemble salad, divide greens among serving plates and top with chickpeas, mushrooms, tomatoes, artichokes, bocconcini, onion, and olives. Drizzle on pesto dressing.
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD
Matthew Kadey is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Oat Sweet Potato Chili
If breakfast oatmeal is your jam, you’ll happily spoon up this oat-infused hearty chili. It comes together quickly enough to add to your weeknight dinner routine, but soaking the steel-cut oats ahead of time is key to having them cook more efficiently. Toppings run the gamut of avocado, sour cream, broken tortilla chips, cilantro, or grated cheddar. Hot stuff Chili powders can range greatly in their heat levels. So, it’s important to know the type you’re working with to gauge how much of a fiery kick it will add to a dish.
Purple Cabbage and Apple Soup
This vibrant soup is a soul-soothing hug in a bowl. Blue and purple fruits and vegetables contain powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins that promote health and proper brain function. Apple swap Try swapping out the apples in this recipe for pears. Just like the apples, the subtle sweetness of pears helps balance out the earthiness of the cabbage.
Herb and Greens Frittata
Deep green fruits and vegetables are high on the list of health-promoting foods. Green foods have been shown to contain high amounts of antioxidants and nutrients that promote good cardiovascular health and can inhibit certain carcinogens. Serve this frittata alongside a leafy green salad for an unbeatable green culinary experience. Versatile leftovers Any leftover frittata makes a wonderful filling for a sandwich along with other thinly sliced vegetables you have on hand and a smear of hummus.
Caramelized Fennel and Yogurt Dip
This creamy dip will be your go-to for dunking vegetables or for spooning over roast chicken or root vegetables as a sauce. Compounds found in fennel have been shown to stimulate the production of T-cells in our body, which, in turn, may help improve our immune response to infections. If white is right If you would like to stay on the white theme, try serving this dip with an array of white vegetables such as endive leaves, jicama sticks, daikon rounds, steamed nugget potatoes, and cauliflower florets.