Fresh Fridays 
Celebrate Valentine's Day with a salad

Have you eaten a good helping of salad today?
The Mediterranean Diet is all about getting plenty of vegetables into your daily meals, and salads are one of the best ways to include a wide variety of nutritious foods for both lunch and dinner.

So grab your sweetie and start making a lovely salad.

As you think about all the possible ingredients, from artichokes to zucchini, put some thought into your dressings, too. While you can find a staggering assortment at your local supermarket, making your own dressing from scratch guarantees fresh flavors and your own stamp of approval on what goes into the mix.

You can make a dressing in a food processor or blender, or use a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid as your dressing shaker and to store leftover amounts in the refrigerator. If you decide to add toasted nuts or fresh herbs, include these just before serving the salad to keep their textures and colors bright and fresh.
Above all, experiment! Try different flavored oils, vinegars, mustards, fresh citrus, and a range of herbs and spices. If a dressing you make tastes a little too sharp, tone it down with a small spoonful of honey.

Try these delicious dressings and salads to get started.

Web links

February grain of the month-Barley  
 Grain of the Month
for the WGC

Oldways urges everyone to explore the healthful culinary traditions of the African Diaspora, from Africa, the Caribbean, South America and the American South, during this February - Black History Month.
Sunny Artichoke Saladartichoke salad   

Here's a tasty salad that uses just four ingredients, plus a memorable dressing. Artichokes are at their best in stores in March, April, and May. Choose those with compact heads that feel heavy, and have tightly closed leaves.

Chicken Salad withchicken salad Fig Balsamic  
Dressing
This delicious salad is special enough to serve for dinner.  Look for fig vinegar at your supermarket or in gourmet shops. It has a subtle, fruity flavor that adds a very special touch to a salad. Make the dressing at least an hour in advance, to give the flavors time to blend well.    
Pecan Vinaigrette pecans    

Adding nuts to dressing provides a delightful crunchy texture for salads of all kinds. Try this combination with watercress, carrots, and beets. If you want to make the dressing in advance, add the toasted mustard seeds and pecans just before serving.  

 

Bella's Original Vinaigrette dried tomatoes
Here's a go-to dressing to make any salad special, and best of all, you simply toss the ingredients in a blender. Look for sun-dried tomatoes at your supermarket and be sure to use the oil they're packed in. Serve this vinaigrette on tossed greens or as a dip for fresh vegetables.  

Fresh Fridays is a bi-weekly celebration of Mediterranean eating and living. We hope our Friday recipes will remind you just how easy and delicious eating the Mediterranean way can be.   
To find even more delicious Mediterranean recipes please visit:    

 Mediterranean Foods Alliance (MFA)     

 

 

     

Oldways logo
Let the old ways be your guide to  good health and well-being.

 www.oldwayspt.org 
12 great ways to use eggs  
Med Diet USA 
Midwest Herb show  Midwestern Herb and Garden Show
Time Square Mall
Mt. Vernon, Illinois
February 10-12, 2012
Grow your own herbs to flavor Mediterranean dishes.  Visit this show to learn how to grow and harvest culinary herbs, and find plants and seeds for sale, too.  
Oldways bookstore

 Mediterranean Summer
 by David Shalleck

 Follow an acclaimed chef's culinary adventure as he cooks meals using local ingredients exclusively and copes with the confines of a galley kitchen.