Category: Salad

Corn Black Bean Salad

The Sunshine Inn Blog3 Comments

Corn Black Bean Salad

  • Servings: 20
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Oil and lime based

On a July 4th celebration, a young chef asks the master chef for the recipe for the Corn Black Bean Salad he just had. The master chef gave a revised recipe as the original served 250. This version serves 20 side dishes. If you add an extra protein, it can serve 10 as a main dish.

Ingredients

  • 8-10 corn cooked and shucked
  • 3 large avocado cut in cubes
  • 3-4 limes juiced
  • 1-1/4 cup of cilantro chopped
  • 1 large red onion chopped
  • 2-1/2 cups of black beans (canned rinsed)
  • 4 bell peppers of various colours chopped
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 jalapeno peppers chopped finely
  • 1 tsp of smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. In a very very large mixing bowl put all ingredients together (I used two large bowls and divided everything evenly)
  2. Refrigerate

Nutrition Per Serving

  • Calories 197
  • Fat 10.5 g
  • Sugar 5.5 g
  • Carbohydrates 25.2 g
  • Protein 5.1 g
  • Fibre 5.6 g

You need to bring something to a large picnic? This is a great option. I’ve changed it up a little. I thought I’d omit the lime juice (didn’t have any handy) and the oil, and put in 1 cup of sour cream instead and that was a success. You can always do both versions by separating the salad into two mixing bowls. Then in one bowl, put half the oil and lime juice mixture, and in the other 1/2 the sour cream. Had leftovers so prepared a chicken breast on the grill and added 3 ounces to 2 cups of the mixture and that made a great meal. You could do this with fish, steak, tofu, anything at all. I can even see a hard boiled egg. Possibilities are endless as long as you can see it, do it. Remember to have fun and make it your own.

Sour cream based

Taco Salad

The Sunshine Inn Blog2 Comments

Taco Salad

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: Easy
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THIS IS NOT GOOD IF YOU ARE COUNTING CALORIES. This is a good salad, a little high in calories but hey once in a while, you have to say, ok, I will indulge. I started this recipe as this was something I had in a restaurant but their version was 1000 so I did all I could to reduce it. I have a few more tricks that I will mention in closing. So let’s get to it.

Ingredients

  • 1 package of Taco Seasoning Mix (Old El Paso)
  • 1 cup of cooked black beans (if you use canned, make sure to rinse)
  • 1 lb of extra lean ground beef
  • 45 grams or 1.5 ounces of Cheddar Cheese (reduced fat)
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1 avocado
  • 3 corn on the cob
  • 1 cup of Salsa (Herdez Salsa)
  • 1 cup of Cilantro chopped
  • 2 cup of Spinach
  • 2 cup of Cooked white rice
  • 2 jalapeño chopped (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Put tortilla shells in mold and cook for 10-12 minutes
  3. In a boiling pot of water cook corn for 10-12 minutes.
  4. Once cooked, rinse with cold water to stop cooking and shuck.
  5. In a pan, brown the ground beef and make sure to loosen.
  6. Add Taco mix and cook using directions on package.
  7. Now is assembly, shell, put in rice at bottom, put black beans, taco mixture. Then top with corn, onion, jalapeño, avocado, cheese, cilantro, spinach and salsa.

Nutrition Per Serving

  • Calories 622 each
  • Fat 18.9 g
  • Sugar 2.6 g
  • Carbohydrates 82.8 g
  • Protein 31.7 g
  • Fibre 8.3 g

I started making this at home ironically because I had left over rice and thought of the salad we sometimes have at the mexican restaurant. Want to save time, everything can be prepared ahead of time. Just don’t cut your avocado until the last moment or you can use guacamole. If you want to save some calories, omit the rice at the bottom. I usually use my own salsa which is made to my taste and heat level. I’ve seen this recipe done with refried beans instead of black beans, and brown rice instead of white rice. The possibilities are endless, you can use fish, chicken, pork, completely vegetarian, beyond meat, anything. Let your imagine go, have fun and make it your own.

Protein Rice Salad

The Sunshine Inn Blog1 Comment

Protein Rice Salad

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Who says salad needs to be boring? Not me. I used to say that a salad was a side not a meal, now I know better. Here is a version that I have done. It’s a great summer meal.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of spinach
  • 1 cup shredded carrot (I use the carrot peeler to get thin strips instead of shredded)
  • 1/2 cup of cooked white rice (brown rice would be better)
  • 1 can of tuna
  • 2 large hard boiled eggs
  • 1 large red bell pepper cut into thin strips
  • 2 tbsp of chopped green onion
  • 2 ounces of cheddar cheese cubed
  • 2 tbsp of apricot jam or jelly
  • 1 jalapeño (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Assembly is easy. Divide everything in two. Put spinach at bottom of large bowl.
  2. Cover with rice.
  3. Spread the carrot around the bowl.
  4. Spread the red pepper, green onion, and jalapeño if used.
  5. Put the sliced egg, the ball of tuna and cubed cheese dividing the plate into thirds.
  6. Add salt and pepper if desired.
  7. In the centre put the apricot jam or jelly.

Nutrition Per Serving

  • Calories 436
  • Fat 17.8 g
  • Sugar 11.9 g
  • Carbohydrates 38.9 g
  • Protein 32.4 g
  • Fiber 2.8 g

This salad is fun. It reminds me of summer. The ingredients are what I had on hand. I wanted to make sure that it was high in protein as I was having this after having done a workout on the treadmill. You don’t like cheddar but prefer mozzarella, use that. You want it spicy add that jalapeno. You have left over cooked chicken, use that instead of tuna. You don’t have cooked rice, you can cook some spaghettini or rice noodles. The possibilities are endless. Remember have fun and make it your own.