Salad Bowl with Hummus
Seven ingredients, zero cooking. A Mediterranean salad bowl with hummus, crumbled feta, olives, and raw vegetables on a bed of mixed greens, served alongside toasted whole wheat bread.
The whole plate delivers 434 kcal and 20g of protein in about five minutes of cutting and assembly. The hummus and feta carry most of the fat at 26g total, keeping the bowl substantial enough to hold through an afternoon.
Seven ingredients, zero cooking. A Mediterranean salad bowl with hummus, crumbled feta, olives, and raw vegetables on a bed of mixed greens, served alongside toasted whole wheat bread.
The whole plate delivers 434 kcal and 20g of protein in about five minutes of cutting and assembly. The hummus and feta carry most of the fat at 26g total, keeping the bowl substantial enough to hold through an afternoon.
Ingredients
- red onion 0.25 piece
- tomato 1 piece
- olives 4 pieces
- mixed salad 1 handful
- hummus 2 tablespoons
- feta cheese, crumbled 2 ounces
- bread, whole wheat 2 slices
Method
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Cut the red onion into half rings, cut the tomato into cubes and the olives in half.
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Arrange the lettuce on a plate. Divide the red onion, tomato and olives over the lettuce leaves. Season with salt and black pepper.
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Top it with some hummus. Spread the feta over it and serve with the toasted bread.
Drop the sliced red onion in cold water for two minutes while you prep the rest. The quick soak pulls out the sharp sulfur compounds and leaves the sweetness behind, so the onion blends into the salad instead of overpowering it.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Is 20g of protein enough for lunch?
Twenty grams is a solid contribution to a meal. The idea that anything under 30g of protein per sitting somehow does not count has been challenged by research looking at how much protein your body actually puts to work in one go. The ceiling is higher than gym culture suggests. This salad's 20g adds up across a day, especially when your other meals carry their share.
Read the full evidence reviewDoes hummus change how the body handles bread?
It appears to. Hummus scores just 15 on the glycemic index, a scale measuring how fast food raises blood sugar. Plain chickpeas, the main ingredient, sit at 36. The fat from tahini and olive oil in the hummus slows how fast the starch breaks down into sugar, so pairing hummus with bread partially buffers the bread's blood sugar spike. A 2016 study confirmed this effect.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I make this the night before?
You can prep the components separately and assemble right before eating. The cut vegetables hold fine in an airtight container overnight. Keep the hummus and feta separate until you plate, and save the bread for toasting last. Mixed salad greens wilt quickly once other ingredients sit on them, so add those fresh.
