I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing 4th of July! If you have had your fill of hamburgers, hotdogs, and potato salad (all of which can be nutrient dense and, dare I say, healthy when prepared properly) try this…
My daughter has been watching the show, Friends. I have really enjoyed spending time watching some of these episodes with her. It is fun to connect over an “old” movie or TV show. :) We recently took our time and watched Gilmore Girls…all of it. It was great!
As my daughter does, she started Googling all things Friends, and found this recipe for a salad that Jennifer Aniston supposedly ate everyday, for years, while on set filming the show. While I am not sure that this tidbit is true, we tried the salad and it is delicious and super easy to make!
You may already be familiar with this salad. This isn’t a recent trend. You can Google Jennifer Aniston salad and come up with many recipes but here is what we did. This doesn’t have to be exact and you can adjust as you like.
Ingredients:
1 cup prepared quinoa (2 cups water, vegetable broth or chicken broth to prepare quinoa)
1 15 ounce can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 cucumber cut into cubes
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup mint leaves minced *Do not leave out the mint. I think it makes the salad!
1 cup feta *Can be left on the side and added at the end. Or not.
¼ cup pickled red onion or diced red onion *We didn’t add this but I think the pickled version would be tasty.
½ cup rough chopped pistachios
Approx. ½ cup olive oil
Approx. ½ cup balsamic vinegar (or sub fresh lemon juice)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional Ingredients:
Handful of baby spinach or arugula
Kalamata olives
Roasted chicken breast *I added this when eating the salad as a meal
Instructions:
Prepare quinoa per package instructions using water, vegetable broth, or chicken broth. (Lightly toasting the quinoa in a warm pan before adding the liquid gives it more flavor. Watch when you add the liquid to a warm pan as the quinoa will pop. Use the pan lid to cover the pot slightly as you add the water or broth.)
Combine all desired ingredients in a bowl and toss.
Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice), salt, and pepper to taste in a separate bowl. I prefer a tangier dressing, so I use equal parts oil and vinegar. Taste as you go. Once you have the desired balance and taste for your dressing, pour it over the salad in the amount you prefer. I would dress each serving as you eat it, storing the extra dressing in the refrigerator to be used later.
The salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days. The dressing will keep in the refrigerator for a week. The olive oil will solidify in the refrigerator. Set the dressing out on the countertop before using to bring it back to liquid.
Why do I love this salad? Besides being easy to make and delicious, it contains:
Fiber
Good quality protein
Good fats
Phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals
This salad is a great example of how eating a food first, whole food, nutrient dense diet, like I teach, is so important. There isn’t one magic food or nutrient that will change your life. Sorry kale. Or is it moringa now? By eating a variety of whole foods though, you will get ALL of the nutrients and compounds your body needs and more.
If you are struggling with feeling tired and stressed, with not being able to lose that extra weight, with sugar and carb cravings, with wanting to feel better but not knowing how, I can help! You don’t have to do this alone.
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