I’m on a diet healthy eating plan. Those of you who just stumbled on this blog are probably now looking at its name and going, “Well, duh!” But the fact is, I never really talk about my struggles with my weight here because that’s a long and personal discussion, and my writing style is fast and breezy and cut to the chase, er, recipe.
So let’s just suffice it to say that though the recipes I post here are low-fat and most are suitable for any healthy diet plan, there are things in my pantry that aren’t fat-free or low in sugar or unprocessed, and they’ve been known to find their way out of my pantry and into my mouth. (I’m looking at you, Boca Chik’N and Fruitful O’s!) No matter how healthy my dinners are (and they really are what you see on this blog), I don’t make any progress losing weight if I eat junk for lunch and between meals. So I’ve cut out all processed foods, including flour and sugar, which always cause me to crave more processed food.
And I feel great! My new motto is “If I didn’t cook it myself and it doesn’t fit on my blog, I don’t eat it.” That’s a long motto, but you get the idea.
I’m basically following Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Eat to Live (I have my own little tweaks), and one of its main precepts is “Thou Shalt Eat a Mega-Huge Salad for Lunch.” Mega-Huge means take the salad bowl you use to make salad for dinner parties and fill it up with lettuce, spinach, kale, and various other leafy greens and top them with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, peas, and whatever other raw vegetables you can find. Finally, top that with an ounce or two of raw nuts and some cooked beans, and then eat the entire thing.
My main problem with this main precept is that I get tired of salads every day, especially during the winter when the thought of cold salad often leads me to heat up the beans before pouring them over the salad. So yesterday I opened my fridge and took out all the “remnants” of other recipes–the cabbage and kale I’d chopped for a photo shoot, the white beans leftover from Roasted Parsnip Soup, two baby bok choy that I didn’t use in my last stir-fry–added some onions and carrots, and made a hot salad out of them:
Then I posted the photo above to Facebook with the caption, “I just ate almost this entire stir-fry pan full of food–the kind of lunch that happens when I get tired of salads!” So many people wanted the recipe (though one wanted to chastise me for my “gluttony”) that I posted the ingredients. But since ingredients do not a recipe make, I figured I’d better give you the full run-down here on the blog.
What follows is exactly what I used and what I did, but since I was cleaning out my own fridge, not yours, feel free to use the vegetables that you need to use up. Chopping time aside (and I was lucky to have most of this pre-chopped), this cooks very quickly: Be sure you use a deep enough skillet that you can cover because steaming is necessary to get the veggies cooked fast without oil.
And note the number of servings. The recipe made about 4 of the salad-plate-sized servings in the plated photo, but if you’re following Eat to Live, you’ll want to eat more than that (or even the whole pan!) so I’ve set the nutritional info up for 2 servings. You could also serve it as a side dish for 4; just divide the nutritional stats in half.
Hot Skillet Salad
Ingredients
- 2 baby bok choy
- 1/4 cup red onion chopped
- 3 ounces baby carrots about 6, slivered
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup red cabbage sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 cups sliced kale
- 1 cup cooked great northern beans
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fat-free balsamic dressing or balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Wash the bok choy well. Slice the white stems into 1/4-inch slices and set aside. Slice the green leafy tops thinly and keep separate from the stems.
- Preheat a non-stick wok or deep skillet. Add the red onion and cook until it begins to soften. Add the carrots, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Add the bok choy stems, cabbage, basil, oregano, and 1/4 cup water. Cover tightly and steam for about 3 minutes, stirring several times. Stir in the bok choy leaves, kale, and beans and add another splash of water if it’s too dry. Cover and steam until the kale is tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in salad dressing or vinegar just before serving.
Eat to Livers Unite!
What do you eat when you don’t want salad? Leave your ideas and recipes in the comments below. And see Hidden Cashew Ranch Dressing Plus Tips for Eating Salads When You Really Don’t Want To for more ideas.
Looking for other Eat to Live-able recipes? Check out my ETL sections both here and on the main website. Looking for support? Join us in the Eat-2-Live Group on Yahoo!
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Kim
OMG I have been debating doing exactly what you are doing. I try and post low fat and healthy vegan food on my blog but I have to feed my family and they are not happy with most of the low fat stuff. My desert section is increasing and so is my waist. I am really addicted to flour and sugar and doing so has made me more lazy thus reaching for those processed “easy” foods you mention.
I reread the Eat to Live book and decided I would go for it again, bought a bunch of salad stuff and then had out of town guests come in. I had to make muffins, cookies and such and of course can’t make them without eating them so the salad is now bad and my desire to eat healthy again is lower.
I, like you, make pretty healthy dinners, and even healthy lunches and breakfast but it is the snacks and treats that do me in. I can’t wait to see how things go with you and hope you will post your progress good and bad for us all to see. We all have our weaknesses and no one is perfect (except maybe Dr. McDougall, Fuhrman and Barnard!)
Good luck to you Susan and PLEASE keep us updated 🙂
Kim
Chris
OMG! what an awesome recipe! I’m on Weight Watchers, which has been working great for me. I’ve been a vegetarian for decades (lacto-ovo plus occasional fish.) Tomorrow I’m starting a Vegan diet, so I’m cruising the web for recipes. I’m so excited! (wish me luck)
🙂
SusanV
Good luck! I think you’ll love being vegan!
Christopher Kandrat
One of the best salad related dishes i’ve had in awhile
Laura
I have a diet secret, too. I’m not overweight, but I binge. I eat healthy most meals – most days – and then I binge on sugar. I went a period of several months without binging and it felt so great – I didn’t hate myself. Then, I binged. And I realized “that feeling” after a binge – when I totally hate myself for giving in to food to make me feel differently – was worse than anything. It finally hit me. I hate the binge. I now have finally learned to recall how I feel after a binge – before I binge – so I can change it. Easier said than done. But why? Why should that be so difficult? It’s the whole reward thing. Now, I think I have finally changed my brain chemistry – a la David Kessler’s theory of conditioned hyper-eating. It’s not just the food. It’s the brain.
That said, I love my salads. And on a cold winter’s day – to warm up my salad – I stick with the green salad base – and simply add to that – some nuked veggies of the “frozen mixed veg” variety mixed with 1 T. of Thousand Island dressing. It’s simple – yet delicious. And very rewarding.
Eat 4 Stress
I love your motto! A few weeks ago, I had to have a heart-to-hear discussion with myself (um, so to speak) that if I was going to get these 40 pounds off from emotional eating at night, that I had to clear the pantry and fridge of temptation that I can’t handle. So, as of today, I am resolved that if it isn’t fresh and raw veggies, I shouldn’t eat it and only I truly know that there is no oil or butter in a cooked meal, unless I make it myself.
Fortunately, my husband does love the food I’ve been making as we slowly adapt. I cook a lot of Dr. Gabe Mirkin’s food and am always looking for new recipes that are similar to his, yours are perfect! Thank you for sharing all of your great recipes.
My husband has no emotional eating problems and can eat anything, but he has agreed to keep the munchies at work!
Kate
When I’m not in a salad mood, I default to veggie soups or green smoothies. I make a massive batch of veggie soup at the start of the week, and it always just disappears. My current favourite is split pea spinach. I cook split peas in extra veggie broth (more than called for, so the peas get saturated but there is still broth left over), and then I steam a bag or so of spinach, and throw the whole thing in the blender. It takes like 5 minutes (minus the cooking time for the peas) and is the most beautiful green and delicious.
moreskinnydays
I had always tried to eat healthy, but “Eat to Live” changed my perspective from adding produce to starting with produce. Now most of my meals are, for lack of a better term, salads or porridges. Salads using lettuce as a base and porridges use a fruit or vegetable as a base. I am not a vegetarian, but meat is a treat as is anything in a package.
Katie Rose
I did ETL for awhile too, and the salads made me feel great but I was always looking for a way to switch it up and add variety to my day. What a novel idea this recipe is! It looks delicious.
Meghan
Hey! I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried it, but tonight I made a salad and dressed it with salsa, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and nutritional yeast. The nutritional yeast was a new addition for me but it made an excellent dressing once everything was mixed 🙂
Kellie
Susan — another hit! Absolutely loved this and so did my husband. A great way for us to get more kale in. I used regular green kale plus some locinato kale (aka dinosaur kale), too. The mixture worked well. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks!
April
Thanks for posting this recipe! I have never been able to just eat a bowl of cooked greens but am trying to incorporate them into other dishes. This was the perfect recipe to get me eating kale, I even grew it in my garden because of this salad! I’ve thrown in steam fried potatoes on occasion, leftover vinegar coleslaw, possibilities are endless! Think I’m going to have to make another batch soon! Thanks again and keep the recipes coming 🙂
Mia
Thank you so much for this recipe, with simple, precise instructions! As a college kid living on my own now, I’m just starting to get my head around cooking for myself, and this recipe basically taught me how to stir-fry (er, steam)! I’ve made this many times, along with many variations on it. Its so versatile it will never get old! Thanks again for your wonderful recipes. Keep em coming, and I’ll keep eating!
annie
THank you, Susan, for this and all your recipes. I’m happy to have found you. About weight, since I started eating a whole foods plant based no added oil diet in early 2011 I have lost ALL my excess weight with absolutely no hunger or stress. This feeds my health instead of my fat cells.
A.C.
Thanks!! I googled “Hot Salad” and this came up!
it’ll be a rescue as I have a pot luck tonight and totally forgot.. this will be a great pinch-hit! *I was thinking of adding a little fresh ginger, a whisper of 5-spice and a tablespoon or so of SoyVay’s line of sauces.. either way and any way: this looks like a Keeper! 🙂
brenda the barefootcookingirl
When I have a plate of salad in front of me at home and I just can’t eat another one – I take it and make soup out of it. Just toss it in a vitamix or other good blender, add some water and there you go. Hot salad in a mug, or two or three…. or even cold. You’d be surprised how many soups taste good cold! Love your site – new to it yesterday. Love it! BCG
Tam
Hello,
I just made this hot skillet salad tonight. I like it a lot! But, I may have cooked this a minute too long.. Doesn’t look as “lively” as yours in the pic!! I’ll cut up my veggies in advance next time. I did use an organic prepacked chopped kale salad that contained carrots and chopped red cabbage too!
I love salads and I like the idea of throwing greens and veggies together in a skillet.
This will definitely be a Fall/Winter staple for me. Thanks!!
Ann
I’m always looking for new ideas to treat my daughter, a vegetarian. Your approach and recipes are fantastic and I hope to find one to take to our family’s Easter dinner.
Monica
I’m not too embarrassed to admit I eat this pretty much every night. I alternate kale, spinach and bok Choy and add tomatoes, yellow squash, cauliflower or whatever else I have on hand. I season with fresh gound pepper, lemon nd balsamic vinegar-delish!!!
kim
it said daiya is bad for you is that true? I would not buy that anyway but I didn’t know. But it makes me think about nutritional yeast, which I though was HEALTHY. Whats going onnn?!!
Susan Voisin
Kim, Daiya is full of fat, which is why it’s not really a health food. But nutritional yeast is fine, in my opinion.
Andrea
Hi can i sub spinach for kale! Thx
Susan Voisin
Sure, use any green you like!
Andrea Nittel
Hey Susan!!! I agree with your hot salad idea, but something else I do is a genuine stirfry. I use a ton of veggies like garlic, onion, ginger, carrots, snap peas, broccoli, bok choy. I cook with either olive , grapeseed, or avocado oil and I also top it with nuts. For a sauce I use a bit of green curry or stir fry sauce ( sodium reduced). This can be eaten at lunch or supper – depending on the day and one’s schedule. I also sometimes add soy noodles or pumpkin/buckwheat soba noodles. There are so many possibilities. The way to change it up is to change the veggies and nuts. I am not a complete vegan like you are, but I use a lot of your recipes because I definitely lean that way. Even for meat eating people, it is healthier to have a few meals /week that do not contain meat. I eat fish/seafood, a bit of chicken and stay away from red meat. I often use mushrooms to replace meat in my recipes such as mushroom burgers and mushrooms and spaghetti sauce. I love your site and will continue to read all your great ideas!!!!
Mrs. Doodlepunk
Oh. My. Goodness. I have everything to make this, right now! Thank you!
Sakshi
same feeling 😀
Vibeke
Mmm one of my favourite recipes!