Meal of the month: Hearty salad supper

A big, hearty salad can be a great way to get your daily dose of vegetables. Add other filling ingredients to turn your salad into a healthy, satisfying meal. Here's a template for creating one.

Greens. Darker greens tend to have higher levels of heart-protecting nutrients. Good choices include kale, spinach, and romaine lettuce.

Vegetables. Create a rainbow with raw vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, and purple cabbage. Or just use whatever you have on hand, including any leftover steamed or roasted vegetables, such as asparagus, green beans, or broccoli.

Starches. Cooked and cooled grains add extra fiber and other nutrients. Try bulgur, farro, quinoa, or wild rice. You could also add chunks of regular or sweet potatoes, or whole-wheat pasta.

Protein. Like starches, protein makes a salad more filling. Try canned beans (such as chickpeas or white beans), nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds), cubes of tofu, chopped hard-boiled eggs, or small pieces of cheese (such as cheddar or feta), chicken, turkey, or fish.

To make a simple dressing, whisk together three parts olive oil with one part vinegar or lemon juice, adding salt, pepper, chopped garlic, and herbs to taste. Or try one of the dressings from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's Nutrition Source: www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/recipes-healthy-fats-oils.

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