Lettuce benefits and contraindications

Lettuce salad with pear and walnut

Apples most often appear in vegetable and meat salads, but pears are no less versatile in this regard. Choose an unsweetened variety of fruit, combine it with herbs, cheese and nuts, and you will get a hearty and tender dessert or even dinner. Of the leaf salads, spicy arugula goes best with pear.

Compound:

• Arugula - bunch
• Large unsweetened pear - 1 pc.
• Blue cheese - 100 g
• Walnuts – 50 g
• White bread – 70 g
• Butter - 10 g
• Quail egg - 1 pc.
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp.
• Balsamic vinegar - 1 tbsp.

Preparation:

1. Cut the bread into cubes, break the quail egg, separate the yolk, beat with softened butter. Dip the bread cubes into this mixture, but do not allow them to soak, and immediately distribute them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in a hot (100 degrees) oven until completely browned.
2. Coarsely chop the cheese with a knife, cut the pear into thin slices, tear or chop the arugula leaves with a knife. Break the walnuts. Mix olive oil with balsamic vinegar.
3. Place all the ingredients in a bowl, season with the resulting sauce, add the baked pieces of bread last, and stir. Serve on a flat platter, arranged on lettuce leaves.

Lettuce with strawberries “Four cheeses”

An exquisite dish for true gourmets and those who like to experiment. The delicate sweet and sour taste of the berries combines uniquely with a mixture of cheeses and herbs.

Ingredients:

• Lettuce – 1 pc.
• Fresh strawberries – 8 berries
• Soft blue cheese – 100 gr.
• Grated Parmesan – 50 gr.
• Soft goat cheese – 100 gr.
• Philadelphia cheese – 100 gr.
• A bunch of various greens – 80 gr.
• Juice of half a lemon
• Cold pressed olive oil – 30 ml.
• Sugar, salt, pepper - individual taste

Preparation:

From lemon juice, olives. oil and spices prepare the dressing. Chop the lettuce leaves randomly and combine with the dressing. Mix four cheeses with finely chopped herbs to a homogeneous plastic mass. We form small balls from the cheese mass, and cut the strawberries into halves. Place cheese balls and strawberries on lettuce leaves, drizzle with remaining dressing and you're done.

Salad with lettuce leaves, shrimp and quail eggs

Lettuce leaves definitely go well with any ingredient - they “sound” no worse with seafood than with the usual poultry or veal. If you don't want to bother with boiling and peeling the shrimp, you can replace them with krill meat, sold in small tins. There is no need to fry it - you can add it immediately after opening the container.

Compound:

• Lettuce - bunch
• Shrimp – 300 g
• Cherry tomatoes - 6-7 pcs.
• Quail eggs - 3 pcs.
• Ground cucumber - 2 pcs.
• Soy sauce - 1 tsp.
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp.
• Dried basil - a pinch

Preparation:

1. Boil the quail eggs so that the yolk is barely set, transfer to cold water, and leave for 1-2 minutes. Peel, cut in half.
2. Boil shrimp in boiling water for 5-7 minutes, peel and add salt. Heat 1 tbsp in a frying pan. olive oil, fry the shrimp in it until golden brown.
3. Combine the remaining olive oil with soy sauce, add dried basil, lightly beat the mixture with a fork.
4. Place half of the whole lettuce leaves on a flat plate. Tear the rest into large pieces with your hands, throw into a common bowl, and top with half-circles of cucumbers and cherry tomato halves. Add the shrimp last and fluff all the ingredients with a fork.
5. Season the resulting salad with soy-oil mixture, leave for 3-5 minutes, transfer to a flat dish, garnish with quail egg halves. Serve to the table.

Lettuce salad: mix of vitamins with pomegranate sauce

In the recipe below, you can change the specific types of salad at your discretion, as well as their quantity - it is permissible to take at least 7-8 different varieties here. The main thing is to maintain equality of proportions. If desired, pomegranate sauce can be replaced with lingonberry or cranberry sauce, but it is better not to use various fatty options - mayonnaise, butter, etc.

Compound:

• Romano salad – 35 g
• Lollo Rossa salad – 35 g
• Watercress – 35 g
• Lettuce salad – 35 g
• Veal tenderloin – 100 g
• Quail eggs – 3-4 pcs.
• Cherry tomatoes – 5-6 pcs.
• Ground cucumbers – 2 pcs.
• Pomegranate – 1 pc.
• Coriander seeds – 1 tsp.
• Sugar – 1 tsp.
• Sesame – 1.5 tsp.

Preparation:

1. Veal tenderloin must be soaked in water, rinsed 2-3 times, cut into thin layers and beaten. Salt, grate with pepper and your favorite spices, wrap in foil and place in a hot (165 degrees) oven for 1 hour 20 minutes.
2. While the meat is ready, the grains are removed from the pomegranate and poured into a small saucepan. You need to crush them with a wooden spoon or pestle, heat them, bring the resulting mass to a boil and cook over low heat with the lid closed until the volume is reduced by half. After this, sugar is added to the pomegranate, coriander seeds are thrown in; The sauce is cooked for another 3-5 minutes. and removed from the stove.
3. Quail eggs are hard-boiled and cut into halves. Cherry tomatoes are washed, dried and also cut in half with a knife. Cucumbers are cut into slices, lettuce leaves are torn by hand. All 4 ingredients are placed on a flat dish, lightly mixed, but not pressed.
4. The baked veal tenderloin is placed on top of the vegetable part of the salad; if desired, you can divide the meat into smaller parts. The dish is seasoned with cooled pomegranate sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It is recommended to serve warm.

Salad of lettuce, chicken and croutons

This recipe is no longer as dietary, its energy value will be higher, but the degree of saturation when consumed also increases. The dish is quite capable of replacing dinner or an afternoon snack and making you forget about the feeling of hunger for a long time. If you are not worried about every calorie, the chicken can be lightly fried or grilled.

Compound:

• Lettuce - bunch
• White loaf - 100 g
• Chicken fillet - 1 pc.
• Salt - a pinch
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp.
• Ground paprika - 1/2 tsp.
• Sesame grains - 1 tsp.
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp.

Preparation:

1. Remove skin and bones from chicken fillet, rinse, place in salted boiling water, and boil for 45-50 minutes. over medium heat with the lid on. As soon as the fibers are easily separated from each other, the fillet should be removed, allowed to cool on a wire rack and cut into cubes or thin slices.
2. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, pour in sesame seeds, fry for 1-2 minutes with the burner power slightly reduced, then crush the grains, add ground paprika, reduce the burner power to medium. Wait another 1-2 minutes.
3. Heat the oven, scatter the diced wheat loaf on a baking sheet, coat each piece with the butter mixture and spices, and place the future croutons in the oven until browned. The approximate temperature is 100 degrees, periodically the crackers need to be turned over.
4. In a large bowl, mix hand-torn lettuce leaves and pieces of boiled fillet, sprinkle with lemon juice and stir. Add the crackers last and mix all the ingredients. Serve on a flat platter. If desired, the salad can be decorated with sesame seeds.

Quick salads with lettuce: recipes with photos

The attractiveness of the dishes discussed below lies in the fact that their components do not need to be thermally processed: this often saves a lot of time and allows you to get a traditional fresh version of the dish that is completely harmless to your figure. The calorie content of all these salads is unlikely to exceed the level of 70 kcal per 100 g, which means you can enjoy them without fear. If you are watching your weight, but want something nutritious and tasty, prepare a salad of lettuce with olives, mozzarella and bell peppers.

Compound:

• Leaf lettuce (various) - 2 bunches
• Pitted olives - 200 g
• Cherry tomatoes - 10 pcs.
• Bell peppers (preferably different colors) - 2 pcs.
• Mozzarella – 150 g
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp.
• Basil - sprig

Preparation:

1. Cut bell peppers into half rings, tomatoes into halves, leave olives whole or halve them. Tear lettuce leaves with your hands, do not deform small ones.
2. Place lettuce leaves in a salad bowl, place half rings of pepper on the sides, distribute tomatoes and olives inside, add mozzarella, season with olive oil, fluff lightly with a fork. Before serving, garnish with basil leaves.

Salad with champignons

Ingredients

• Curly lettuce - 1 bunch
• Carrots - 1 pc.
• Young onion - 150 g
• Spinach, leaves - 5 pcs.
• Champignons – 500 g
• Wine bite - 8 tbsp.
• Sunflower oil - 4 tbsp.
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Shallots - 2 pcs.
• Sour cream – 150 g
• Greens (thyme, parsley) - 5 tbsp.
• Hard cheese - 100 g
• Salt - to taste
• Pepper - to taste

Cooking method

Cut the peeled carrots and onions: onions into thin rings, carrots into thin circles.

Tear the spinach and lettuce into pieces, removing the stems and tough leaf veins.

Cut the champignons into four parts and fry in heated vegetable oil until tender.

Then add wine vinegar (4 tbsp), salt, pepper, bring to a boil, remove from heat and drain in a colander. Cool.

Chop the garlic and shallots and mix with sour cream, herbs and vinegar.

Add salt, pepper and combine with the rest of the ingredients.

Place the salad with champignons on a plate and sprinkle with grated cheese. Salad with champignons and cheese is ready!

Salad with raspberries and feta cheese

Do you want something unusual, with a sweet note? Try the raspberry and feta salad. Pine nuts will add piquancy, and the dressing will be lime juice and honey.

Compound:

• Leaf lettuce (small) - bunch
• Fresh raspberries – 250 g
• Peeled pine nuts - 50 g
• Feta cheese - 120 g
• Lime juice - 2 tbsp.
• Liquid honey - 1 tbsp.

Preparation:

1. Tear the lettuce leaves from the bunch, crumble the feta cheese by hand, heat the pine nuts in a dry frying pan for 1-2 minutes.
2. Heat the honey in a water bath, add lime juice to it, stir the dressing and cool slightly.
3. In a common salad bowl, combine all ingredients except raspberries, season with honey-lime sauce, and stir. Place on a common dish, add raspberries.

What else can you use to make a salad from lettuce leaves? With anything. Hearty options are made from mushrooms, tuna, and salmon; lighter, but just as nutritious - with avocado; Pineapples, mangoes or nectarines will bring exoticism. And the simplest dish that does not require a recipe is a mixture of different types of lettuce in olive oil and lemon juice with the addition of any ground nuts.

What are the benefits for the human body?

The plant has been eaten for centuries. It is useful for people of any age and gender. The rich vitamin and mineral composition of lettuce strengthens the immune system and helps treat a number of diseases.

Leaf lettuce is useful for intense physical activity. It is recommended to be included in the menu for athletes. The culture gives muscle tone, relieves painful symptoms, and increases endurance.

For the health of adult men and women

The plant promotes the production of testosterone in the male body. It protects men from impotence and increases the volume and quality of sperm. The increased content of the hormone accelerates blood flow to the genital organ.

Folic acid contained in the culture evens out female hormonal levels . It is indispensable for painful menstruation, useful during menopause.

The plant reduces the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.

During pregnancy and lactation

Including lettuce in the diet of expectant mothers helps the formation of a healthy fetus. Folic acid prevents the development of defects in the unborn child, minimizing the likelihood of miscarriage or premature birth.

Doctors recommend including greens in the menu during breastfeeding. The plant improves milk flow. It is rich in calcium, which helps form healthy muscle and bone tissue.

Is the product suitable for children?

The leaves of the plant can be introduced into the diet starting from one and a half years of age. The culture is useful not only for its vitamin composition, but also because it regulates the water balance in the body.