For those of you who love salads, the keto diet is perfect as salad greens are usually quite low in carbs. Plus, you can experiment with adding different kinds of cheese, nuts, or low-carb vegetables. We’d like to share with you one of our favorite salads – it’s quick and easy to make, and in addition to that, it’s delicious.
We use extra virgin olive oil in our recipe. Research shows that olive oil contains polyphenols, including oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol, which have been shown to help stabilize blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes (1). Specifically, oleuropein helps protect against the deleterious effects of cytokines, which are proteins involved in the immune response.
Additionally, research shows that plant-derived polyphenols can either directly or indirectly prevent cells from carcinogenic factors to reduce the risk of being infected with cancer (2).
Specifically, oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol may help prevent osteosarcoma, neuroblastoma, and breast cancer (3). They may also help prevent colorectal cancer and skin cancer by protecting biological cell membranes from losing structural integrity and preventing against oxidative damage (4).
However, you can use another type of oil, based on your preferences. Good substitutes would be walnut or avocado oil. The same goes for pumpkin seeds. You can substitute these for walnuts, slivered almonds, or pine nuts.
If you want to make the salad more filling (f.e. if you’re eating it as a main dish rather than as a side dish), you can add a second type of cheese, such as mozzarella. You can also add some diced avocado. If you’d like to add some herbs, dried basil is an excellent choice.
Let’s Do It!
Get a large bowl and place your arugula salad.
Add the cherry tomatoes, raw or roasted pumpkin seeds, and grated Parmesan.
Using another bowl, make a dressing by combining olive oil and white vinegar.
Now pour the dressing all over the salad, combine all ingredients together, and enjoy! You may also add salt to taste.
Arugula Salad with Parmesan and Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 50 g arugula
- 50 g cherry tomatoes
- 10 g pumpkin seeds roasted or raw
- 20 g Parmesan cut in thin slices or grated
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp White Vinegar or ACV
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Prepare a large bowl for the arugula salad.
- Drop the cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, and Parmesan on the salad.
- Combine olive oil with vinegar in another bowl to make the dressing.
- Pour this dressing all over the salad. Toss to combine the ingredients together. Enjoy!
