Edie Shaw-Ewald is a Registered Dietitian and Personal Trainer, and a regular contributor to the Bedford Beacon.

She coaches clients to use real and natural foods to achieve their healthiest body and mind.

She runs her own business called Nova Scotia’s Nutrition Coach:

My love of main course salads began when I was a young whipper snapper of a girl in Antigonish…

(oh, groooaaan…I promise I will keep it short!)

There was a cafe and ‘natural foods store’ called The Sunshine Cafe and Tea Room (Antigonishers simply called it’ The Sunshine’). It was owned by Brock Elliott and it was popular and well-loved by all. Brock was a pillar of the downtown community with his bearded face, shopkeepers apron and Birkenstocks. Unfortunately Brock died far too young. He valiantly told the townspeople that he hadn’t followed his own advice when it came to natural foods and supplements…just so they would not worry that it was Milk Thistle that caused his illness.

The Sunshine Cafe had a deeeelicious salad named…Brock Salad. It had so many flavours and textures in it – everything that you would hope for in a main course salad. I ordered that salad for many years. There were chewy sweet raisins, salty peanuts, crunchy lettuce, grated carrot…but after that it gets a little foggy.

The memory of that salad inspires me to create delicious main course salads; only limited by what is in the fridge, pantry or garden.

Main Course Salad Formula

The Base: Choose a salad green or a mixture of greens. Rinse well and spin dry in a salad spinner or gently dry between two tea towels. Make sure it is dry so that the dressing will stick to it.

A Protein: Choose one or more foods such as: walnuts, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hard boiled egg, tuna, cooked legumes or cooked, rinsed beans such as chickpeas, navy beans, black beans, etc.

More Veggies: tomato wedges, grated carrot or cabbage, sliced cucumber, steamed green, yellow, purple beans, diced sweet peppers, etc!

Sprinkle with a punch of flavour: raisins, dried cranberries, chopped fresh basil or mint, blueberries, citrus pieces, crumbled feta, chunks of crisp apple, etc…

Top with a fresh homemade vinaigrette or just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

Source: http://www.bedfordbeacon.com/dinner-salads-brock