Mediterranean Salad – Healthy and Delicious Lunch or Starter
The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest diets in the world. That is why I decided to base my Mediterranean Salad on its principles.
The diet focuses on eating daily massive amounts of vegetables, and there are plenty of them in my salad: asparagus, green peas, tomatoes.
It suggests a daily intake of olive oil and cheeses. So there is olive oil in the dressing and the Parmesan cheese on top of the salad.
It also limits the consumption of meat. Therefore, there is only a bit of Prosciutto ham in this Mediterranean Salad, just for the taste.
Mediterranean diet reduces risks of heart diseases and some types of cancer. It also decreases chances of developing diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and some food allergies; so we all should try to follow it.
These are only a few advantages of this healthy eating style. But if you would like to find out more about the Mediterranean diet and the health benefits of following it, please follow this link.
However, this diet is also about enjoying your food. And I am sure you will enjoy this healthy Mediterranean Salad as it is full of Italian flavours and it does look beautiful.
P.S. If you are short of time, you can use asparagus pieces instead of shaved asparagus.
P.P.S. And here is another example of a delicious Mediterranean-style Salad with Prosciutto, Mozzarella and Mango.
Mediterranean Salad with Asparagus
Ingredients
- 500 g green asparagus woody ends removed,
- 150 g green peas fresh or frozen
- 250 g cherry tomatoes halved,
- 4 slices of prosciutto ham torn into smaller pieces,
- 50 g Parmesan cheese shaved,
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp basil chopped,
- salt and pepper.
Instructions
- Boil a pan of salted water.
- Cut away the tops of the asparagus (about 4-5 cm length).
- Put the green peas to the boiling salted water and cook for 2 minutes; add the asparagus tops, cook for 1 minute, and finally add the asparagus stalks and cook everything for 30 seconds longer; immediately after that transfer the vegetables to a bowl with ice cold water; drain well.
- Using a vegetable peeler strip ribbons of the asparagus stalks.
- In a small bowl make the dressing by mixing the olive oil, lemon juice, and chopped basil.
- Arrange on a big plate (or on separate plates) the green peas, asparagus tops, asparagus ribbons, halves of tomatoes and prosciutto, drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with the Parmesan shavings.
