Cooking Light’s Big Book Of Salad Recipes (Access Hollywood Live)

A big healthy salad is a staple for anyone looking to shed a few pounds. Yet, dieters beware — the wrong toppings can easily turn a seemingly innocent bowl of greens into a diet disaster.

To make sure your salad is on a skinny track, “Cooking Light Big Book Of Salads” has over 150 smart and tasty salad recipes.

Cooking Light magazine’s contributing editor Frances Largeman-Roth stopped by Access Hollywood Live to share three delicious guilt-free salad recipes.

Nuts, Berries & Blue Salad For A Sweet Tooth:

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of fresh mixed greens

1 tbs. crumbled blue cheese

1 tbs. sweetened dried cranberries

1 tbs. chopped toasted walnuts

1 tbs. lemon vinaigrette (recipe below)

Drizzle vinaigrette over greens. Then, simply toss in 1 tablespoon of each of the ingredients; so start with the crumbled blue cheese, dried cranberries and finally add the toasted walnuts

Lemon Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:

1 tbs. grated lemon rind

1 tbs. minced fresh dill

3 tbs. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 tbs. olive oil

Grate lemon grind right into mixing bowl, then add minced dill, lemon juice, salt, pepper and stir with whisk. Slowly add in olive oil, stirring with whisk until combined.

*****

Protein-Packed Asian Flavor Salad:

Ingredients:

1.5 cups mixed greens

1 tbs. chopped roasted peanuts

2 tbs. edamame

2 tbs. mandarin orange sections

1 tbs. crunchy Chinese noodles

1 tbs. ginger-sesame vinaigrette (recipe below)

Drizzle dressing over salad and then toss in remaining ingredients.

Ginger-Sesame Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:

.5 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup yellow miso

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 tbs. sugar

2 tbs. minced fresh ginger

2 tbs. lower-sodium soy sauce

4 tsp. canola oil

2 tsp. dark sesame oil

Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl, stirring with whisk until smooth. Stir in green onions and remaining ingredients.

*****

South-of-the-Border Salad:

Ingredients:

1.5 cups mixed greens

2 tbs. rinsed and drained black beans

2 tbs. cubed avocado

2 tbs crumbled queso fresco

2 tbs. sweet yellow corn

1 tbs. herbed lemon-buttermilk dressing (recipe below)

Pour 1 tbs of salad dressing over greens and toss with remaining ingredients.

Herbed Lemon-Buttermilk Dressing:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk

1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

1 tbs. grated lemon rind

1 tbs. finely chopped onion

1 tsp. chopped chives

1 tsp chopped basil

1 tsp. chopped thyme

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1 garlic clove, minced

Combine all ingredients, stirring with whisk until dressing is well blended.