Vegetarian Protein Packed Salad

I eat a lot of salads (and hopefully you do too). One problem with eating lots of salads is that it is easy to get bored with what you are eating:

That is why I’ll go weeks at a time on a spinach boycott. This forces me to great creative with tastes and flavors.  I came across a great vegetarian protein packed salad recipe that you’re sure to love if you are getting tired of the same old chicken and spinach dance. To make this recipe a little simpler you can skimp on stuff like mint and chives but know that the flavor will suffer a little.

• 3 cups cooked large limas or Christmas limas

• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, cut in 1-inch dice or wedges (it looks nice if they’re cut about the same size as the beans)

• 1 green pepper, cut in 1-inch slices

• 1 small cucumber (preferably a Persian cucumber), sliced (peeled if waxed)

• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or mint

• 2 ounces feta cheese, diced or crumbled

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 cups arugula

I’m not  a huge lima bean fan so replacing them with canned low sodium Cannellini beans is a great option. This salad also uses arugula with is one of my favorite leafy greens. It has a distinctive taste that is great with just a little lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.

The above recipe can make 4 servings which are about 350 calories a piece containing 12 grams of fiber and 15 grams of protein.