Megan McCarthy was living in Chicago after graduating from college when she began her healthy eating quest.
“I had a few extra pounds, due to the typical college beer and pizza intake,” McCarthy remembers with a laugh. “But I got on the scale one day, and I just said, ‘I’m going to take this off pound-by-pound, and I’m never going to put it on, again.’ And that’s what I did.”
Since then, McCarthy has turned her personal journey into a career. Under the umbrella of her business, Healthy Eating 101, she works as a lifestyle consultant and chef, teaching healthy cooking classes at Cook’s Warehouse, Whole Foods Market and the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Edible Garden program.
McCarthy likes to focus on simple, fast and fresh recipes. Salads are a staple of her personal diet and her cooking classes. And spring, with its bounty of greens and vegetables, is a favorite time to come up with new salad recipes.
“I like to create recipes around a particular green or vegetable star,” McCarthy says. “It’s easy when there are so many good, fresh things available locally. It’s a way of getting back to simple, natural cooking and showing people how easy it is to eat healthy.”
One of her current favorites is a raw radish and endive spring salad, mixed with scallions and avocado, and simply dressed with fresh lemon juice, sea salt and cracked pepper.
“It’s so incredible,” McCarthy says. “I think about it and I get excited because it’s so good and it’s so simple. It’s an example of just putting together quality ingredients, without over thinking it.”
Though she’s been a raw foodist and a vegan, nowadays, McCarthy calls herself “a fish-eating vegan wannabe.”
“I have more of a food philosophy based on eating as opposed to cooking,” McCarthy says. “I think people should learn intuitive cooking using what’s available and healthy. That way they can feed themselves and they can be responsible for themselves. Ultimately, that’s all we have.”
Recipes
These quick and easy salads from Healthy Eating 101 chef Megan McCarthy celebrate spring with nutritious combinations of greens and veggies, plus fruit, nuts and cheese.
Spring Mix With Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese
Hands on: 30 minutes Total time: 60 minutes including 45 minutes for roasting the beets Serves: 4
A spring mix take on the classic beet and goat cheese pairing gets a nutty accent with healthy walnut oil and toasted walnuts.
For the roasted beets:
2-3 fresh beets, washed and trimmed
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the walnut vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons roasted walnut oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
cracked black pepper to taste
For the salad:
5 cups spring mix baby lettuces
½ cup shredded carrots
½ cup crumbled goat cheese
½ cup raw walnuts, toasted
For the roasted beets:
Preheat oven to 400.
Place the beets in the center of a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle the beets with 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Fold foil to seal in beets and place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. Remove beets from oven and let cool. Peel the beets while running under cold water, dice and set aside.
For the walnut vinaigrette:
In a small bowl, whisk together the roasted walnut oil, white balsamic vinegar, yellow mustard, sea salt and cracked pepper to taste.
To serve:
In a large bowl, toss lettuces with the vinaigrette, beets and shredded carrots. Plate and top the salad with goat cheese and walnuts.
Per serving: 293 calories (percent of calories from fat, 71), 11 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 24 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 15 milligrams cholesterol, 178 milligrams sodium.
Strawberry Arugula Salad
Hands on: 10 minutes Total time: 10 minutes Serves: 4
Juicy-sweet strawberries, in season in Georgia now, peppery arugula, nutty toasted pecans, tangy feta cheese, and a bright vinaigrette give this salad multiple layers of flavor.
For the vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons grape seed oil (or canola oil)
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
½ teaspoon yellow mustard
sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
For the salad:
4 cups fresh arugula
¾ cup sliced strawberries
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup raw chopped pecans, toasted
For the vinaigrette:
In a small bowl, whisk together the grape seed oil, raspberry vinegar, yellow mustard, sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
In a large bowl, toss the arugula with the vinaigrette. Divide between 4 plates. Add equal portions of sliced strawberries, feta cheese and pecans to each plate.
Per serving: 150 calories (percent of calories from fat, 81), 3 grams protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 14 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 8 milligrams cholesterol, 148 milligrams sodium.
Asparagus Farro Spring Brunch Salad
Hands on time: 15 minutes Total time: 45 minutes including 30 minutes for cooking the farro, Serves: 4-6.
This salad with farro (an ancient grain available at farmers markets and specialty food shops) and spring asparagus is hearty enough to serve for lunch or weekend brunch.
Tip: Prep all other ingredients while farro is cooking and it will cut down on hands on time. Some versions of farro cook in 10 minutes.
1 cup farro, uncooked
3 cups water
For the lemon vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
cracked pepper to taste
Spritz of olive oil
12 stalks asparagus, trimmed and chopped on the bias
1 cup raw kale, stems removed and finely chopped
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water and 1 cup farro to a boil and cook until just tender, about 25 minutes. Drain farro and transfer to large mixing bowl.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Drizzle vinaigrette over farro and toss.
Spritz small amount of olive oil in a sauté pan on medium high heat. Toss in chopped asparagus and cook for about 2 minutes or until bright green. Add asparagus to farro. Using the same sauté pan, repeat with spritz of olive oil on medium heat. Toss in chopped kale and cook for about 1 minute, until bright green. Add kale to farro. Finish the salad by adding the crumbled feta cheese and fresh thyme and tossing together to serve.
Per serving: 208 calories (percent of calories from fat, 48), 6 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 11 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 11 milligrams cholesterol, 229 milligrams sodium.
Radish and Endive Raw Spring Salad
Hands on time: 10 minutes Total time: 10 minutes Serves: 4
This raw salad is the essence of simplicity, with the contrasts of bitter endive, spicy radishes and scallions, buttery avocado and bright lemon juice joining in a medley of textures and flavors.
3 heads red or white California endive with leaves separated and chopped
10 radishes, thinly sliced
2 scallions, chopped
1 avocado, diced
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
cracked black pepper to taste
In a large salad bowl, combine chopped endive, sliced radishes, chopped scallions and diced avocado. Gently mix together. Add fresh lemon juice and season with sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste and toss.
Per serving: 163 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 6 grams protein, 20 grams carbohydrates, 14 grams fiber, 9 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 223 milligrams sodium
