Salad with Cheese, Pickles & Nuts
Pickles and yellow mustard in the same dressing. That combination gives this salad an edge most vinaigrettes never reach. Shredded cheddar, thinly sliced radishes, and red onion half rings surround halved cherry tomatoes, while 42 grams of mixed nuts on top turn a side dish into a 636-calorie meal.
The fat carries this one — 55 grams split across olive oil, cheese, and nuts. No cooking, no cleanup, ten minutes from fridge to fork.
Pickles and yellow mustard in the same dressing. That combination gives this salad an edge most vinaigrettes never reach. Shredded cheddar, thinly sliced radishes, and red onion half rings surround halved cherry tomatoes, while 42 grams of mixed nuts on top turn a side dish into a 636-calorie meal.
The fat carries this one — 55 grams split across olive oil, cheese, and nuts. No cooking, no cleanup, ten minutes from fridge to fork.
Ingredients
- cherry tomatoes 8
- radishes 5
- red onion 0.25
- pickles 3
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
- vinegar 1 teaspoon
- yellow mustard 1 teaspoon
- mixed salad 1 handful
- cheddar cheese, shredded 1 ounce
- mixed nuts, unsalted 1.5 ounce
Method
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Halve the cherry tomatoes. Slice the radishes thinly. Cut the onion into half rings. Chop the pickles into pieces.
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In a small bowl, prepare the dressing by mixing the oil, vinegar and mustard.
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Place the lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, onion, pickles and cheese in a bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Finally, sprinkle the nuts over the salad. Season with pepper and salt to taste.
The mustard in the dressing is doing double duty. Yellow mustard contains natural emulsifiers that keep the oil and vinegar from separating. Whisk the mustard into the vinegar first, then stream in the olive oil slowly. The dressing holds together instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
55 grams of fat in one meal — is that a problem?
Probably not. A review of 57,000 adults across 33 randomized trials found that reducing total fat intake did not lead to more weight loss compared to other diets. Fat is not uniquely fattening — total calories and overall diet quality matter more. The 55 grams here come from three sources with different fatty acid profiles: olive oil (mostly monounsaturated), mixed nuts (mono- and polyunsaturated), and cheddar cheese (mostly saturated).
Read the full evidence reviewOnly 17 grams of protein — do I need to add something?
At 10.7% of total calories from protein, this salad sits below FitChef's typical range. It works as a standalone lunch when other meals in the day cover protein targets. A sliced hard-boiled egg or a handful of grilled chicken strips would add protein without changing the bowl's flavor profile.
