A PCOS-friendly salad recipe, packed with protein, fiber, and flavor!

When I was a kid, I used to hate eating salads. In my family, our salads consisted of iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes. And they were soaked in either Italian or bleu cheese dressing. They were neither delicious nor nutritious!

However, I've learned that salads can be much more than that, and I've learned to get a bit creative with them. This salad is a perfect example of that! We've got some fun veggies, a source of complex carbohydrates (the beans), healthy fats (olive oil and pumpkin seeds), and a great lean protein source (shrimp). It's high in fiber, including soluble fiber, and it's packed with important minerals that many of us often lack, like magnesium, zinc, and calcium.

Give it a try!

Ingredients
2 cups snap peas, trimmed
1 cup radishes, chopped into 1/2" dice
2 bulbs fennel, quartered and then thinly sliced
1 tsp black pepper, divided
1 1/2 tsp sea salt, divided
1 1/2 tips garlic powder
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp raw honey
15 1/2 oz great northern beans, drained and rinsed
5 oz feta cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 head green lettuce, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine radishes, snap peas, fennel, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread veggies on it. Roast for 20 - 25 minutes or until veggies are starting to brown.
While the veggies are roasting, make the dressing by combining 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice (zest the lemon before juicing it!), 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp mustard, and 1 tsp honey. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp butter in a pan over medium-high heat. While it's heating, combine shrimp with 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and the zest of one lemon.
Add shrimp to the pan and saute for 2 - 3 minutes per side or until the shrimp is opaque and cooked through. Squeeze the remaining lemon juice over the cooked shrimp.
Once the veggies are roasted, toss the veggies, shrimp, and beans together with the dressing.
Assemble each salad with 2 - 3 c of chopped lettuce, veggie/shrimp/bean mixture, 1 oz of feta, and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds.

Serves 5

Notes

Dairy-free
Replace the feta with walnuts.

Save Time
The snap peas, radishes, and fennel can all be thinly sliced and left raw, although I think they are better roasted!

Substitutions
Can’t find great northern beans? Sub in cannellini beans. Great northern beans have more fiber, so when I can find them, they’re always my first choice!

Nutrition

Calories: 488
Fat: 24g
Carbohydrates: 29g
Protein: 42g
Fiber: 10g

Notable Vitamins and Minerals (More than 10% of RDA)

Potassium: 22%
Vitamin A: 35%
Calcium: 32%
Vitamin C: 27%
Iron: 36%
Vitamin K: 75%
Riboflavin: 23%
Niacin: 13%
Vitamin B6: 18%
Folate: 16%
Vitamin B12: 21%
Phosphorous: 50%
Magnesium: 38%
Zinc: 36%
Selenium: 13%