As a team here at the Conscious Cleanse we’ve been talking about our favorite summertime salads and we knew we had to share them with you.
Check out our Summer Salad Round Up and vote for your favorite in the comment section below.
I also have a new recipe to share with you today and one that I hope you’ll add to your summertime salad rotation.
Check out my Mediterranean Summer Salad with Goat Cheese Feta recipe!
Love tomatoes? Love goat cheese? Put the two together and you’re going to LOVE this salad.
This tasty salad falls into our 80:20 category for two simple – and easy-to-modify to make cleanse-friendly – reasons.
First, are the tomatoes, which are nightshades and can contribute to inflammation, aches and pains in the joints. While we keep nightshades off of our pates during the Conscious Cleanse, if you don’t suffer with any of the above, tomatoes are super delicious this time of year!
Tomatoes are best when local, fresh and organic and here’s a fun fact for you:
Did you know that tomatoes have been proven to have UV protective properties?
Tomatoes are high in the antioxidant lycopene, which has UV protecting properties helping shield us from the sun. A study at Newcastle University looked at the skin of 20 women, half of whom were given 55g of tomato paste (five tablespoons) with 10g of olive oil every day for 12 weeks. The results showed that the women who consumed tomatoes were better protected against UV radiation.
Now you can protect your body from sunburn from the inside out! (Psst, and don’t forget the sunscreen too).
The second reason this is an 80:20 salad is because of the feta cheese – and what mediterranean cuisine would be complete without feta cheese?! We’re all about ditching dairy, but sometimes you need a little creamy treat. This recipe calls for goat cheese feta, which is always my pick over regular feta and usually a bit easier for most people to digest.
Do you have a favorite summertime salad? Tell me about it in the comments below and don’t forget to vote!
With summer salad love,
Mediterranean Summer Salad with Goat Cheese Feta
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 pre-grilled chicken breasts, diced*
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
- 2 TB. Ume plum vinegar
- 1 TB. apple cider vinegar
- 1 TB olive oil
- 1 tsp. honey
- Zest of 2 lemons
- Juice of half a lemon
- ½ cup goat feta cheese**
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions:
In a large salad bowl, add chicken*, romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, basil, onion and olives. Toss and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegars, olive oil, honey, zest and lemon juice.
Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Top with goat cheese feta**.
*Variation: Plant lovers can skip the grilled chicken in place of 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed.
**Not a goat cheese fan? Try our Cashew “Feta” Cheese
