Tuscan-Style Tuna Salad

Servings: 4 (1 cup each)
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 6-ounce cans chunk light tuna, drained 

• 1 15-ounce can small white beans, such as cannellini or great norther, rinsed
• 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 4 scallions, trimmed and sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine tuna, beans, tomatoes, scallions, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir gently. Refrigerate until ready to serve.


This recipe is from EatingWell.com.

Seafood Pasta Salad

Bow tie pasta, crab meat and tomato in a lemon vinaigrette over romaine lettuce

Servings: 2

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 portions bow tie pasta

2 portions cooked crab meat (about 8 ounces), fresh, canned or frozen, thawed, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 celery stalk, sliced

1 tomato, diced

¼ cup low-fat Italian dressing

1 lemon, halved

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 head romaine lettuce

Directions:

1. Prepare bow tie pasta according to its package directions. Rinse with cold running water, drain well.

2. While pasta is cooking, combine crab meat, carrot, celery, tomato, Italian dressing, lemon juice and black pepper in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add cooked pasta to crab mixture and toss to combine.

4. Divide romaine lettuce leaves between two separate plates. Top each with a portion of pasta salad.

Serve and enjoy!

When I make this, I use whole wheat pasta instead of regular bow tie pasta.

This recipe is from Bill Phillips’ Eating for Life. You can check out other healthy recipes at Transformation.com. 

Japanese Cucumber Salad

I was so excited to come across this recipe! I've had this several times at a sushi restaurant in the past. The salad had a little bit of thinly sliced carrots in it as well.

Servings: 4 (about 1 cup each)

Ingredients:

2 medium cucumbers, or 1 large English cucumber

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted (see Tip)

Directions:

1. Peel cucumbers to leave alternating green stripes. Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise; scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Using a food processor or sharp knife, cut into very thin slices. Place in a double layer of paper towel and squeeze gently to remove any excess moisture.

2. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium bowl, stirring to dissolve. Add the cucumbers and sesame seeds; toss well to combine. Serve immediately.

Tip: To toast sesame seeds, heat a small dry skillet over low heat. Add sesame seeds and stir constantly until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

This recipe is from EatingWell.com.

Shrimp Salad with Blood Oranges and Slivered Fennel

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh blood orange juice (about 1 orange)

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided

1/2 tsp sea salt, divided

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

24 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1-1/2 lbs)

Cooking spray

3 blood oranges, peeled and cut crosswise into thin slices

• 2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 1 small)
• Chopped fennel fronds (optional)

Directions:

1. 1. Combine orange juice, lemon juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper, stirring well with a whisk.
2. 2. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
3. 3. Combine shrimp, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Thread 4 shrimp onto each of 6 (12-inch) skewers. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove shrimp from skewers; keep warm.
4. 4. Divide orange slices evenly among 4 plates; top each serving with 1/2 cup fennel and 6 shrimp. Drizzle 1 tablespoon dressing over each serving. Sprinkle with fennel fronds, if desired. Serve immediately.

This recipe is from MyRecipes.com.