Part I · Heart Healthy
Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: none (uses leftover cooked chicken) Yield: 2 large bowls
A big, crunchy chopped salad of bell pepper, radish, raw yellow squash, English cucumber and shredded red cabbage, topped with leftover chicken and dressed with olive oil, red wine vinegar and lemon. Every vegetable in it stays crisp, so it holds up as a packed lunch, and with the chicken it is a full meal of nearly 40 g of protein a bowl.
Made October 2026 on a Saturday, “upping my salad game”, from what was in the fridge and the chicken left over from Merlyn’s batch. Named by Tony.
Why It Works
- All crunch, no wilt: pepper, radish, squash, cucumber and cabbage are firm vegetables that stay crisp under dressing, unlike lettuce.
- Red cabbage for colour and staying power: it keeps its bite for days, and its purple comes from anthocyanins, the same antioxidant family as blueberries. A short soak in the acid softens it slightly and brightens it to magenta.
- Raw yellow squash: sliced thin, it is mild, tender-crisp and quick.
- Leftover chicken makes it a meal: about 39 g of protein a bowl, with almost no added sodium because the dressing has no salt.
- Acid instead of salt: red wine vinegar and lemon give the bright, savoury bite that salt usually provides.
Ingredients
The Vegetables:
- Bell Pepper: 1 large, chopped
- Radishes: about 12 medium, thinly sliced (½ cup)
- Yellow Squash: 1 medium, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- English Cucumber: 1, chopped
- Red Cabbage: 2 cups, thinly shredded (about ¼ of a small head)
The Protein:
- Cooked Chicken Breast: 8 oz, chopped or shredded (leftover, unsalted)
The Dressing:
- Olive Oil: 2 Tbsp
- Red Wine Vinegar: 2 Tbsp
- Lemon Juice: 1 Tbsp (about ½ lemon)
Execution Protocol
Phase 1: The Cabbage
- In your biggest bowl, toss the red cabbage (2 cups, shredded) with the red wine vinegar (2 Tbsp) and lemon juice (1 Tbsp), and let it sit 10 minutes while you chop the rest. The acid softens it slightly and turns it bright magenta.
Phase 2: The Rest
- Add the bell pepper (1 large, chopped), radishes (about 12, sliced), yellow squash (1 medium, sliced) and English cucumber (1, chopped).
- Drizzle with the olive oil (2 Tbsp) and toss well.
- Top with the chicken (8 oz, chopped), or toss it through.
- Split between 2 large bowls.
Variations
- No chicken: use 2 cans of rinsed beans (chickpeas or Great Northern), 4 hard-boiled eggs, or a 5 oz pouch of salmon instead.
- Herbs: a handful of chopped parsley or dill adds freshness.
- Heat: a pinch of crushed red pepper in the dressing.
- Keep the colours separate: the cabbage bleeds purple into everything. For a brighter-looking bowl, dress the cabbage separately and add it at the table.
- Packed lunch: keep the dressing in a small jar and add it at lunchtime; the vegetables stay crunchier.
Meal Profile
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient in the amounts above (the whole batch), then divided by about 2 bowls. One serving is 1 bowl. A value marked † is partial: at least one ingredient has no published value for it, so the true figure is somewhat higher.
The basics
| Whole recipe | Per bowl | Per 1-bowl serving | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 805 kcal | 403 kcal | 403 kcal |
| Protein | 79 g | 39 g | 39 g |
| Fat, total | 36.8 g | 18.4 g | 18.4 g |
| Saturated | 6.5 g | 3.2 g | 3.2 g |
| Monounsaturated † | 22.6 g | 11.3 g | 11.3 g |
| Polyunsaturated † | 5.3 g | 2.6 g | 2.6 g |
| Carbohydrate, total | 43 g | 22 g | 22 g |
| Fiber | 11.0 g | 5.5 g | 5.5 g |
| Sugars | 25.0 g | 12.5 g | 12.5 g |
| Cholesterol † | 193 mg | 96 mg | 96 mg |
| Sodium | 247 mg | 124 mg | 124 mg |
| Potassium | 2,356 mg | 1,178 mg | 1,178 mg |
| Available carbohydrate (total minus fiber) | 32 g | 16 g | 16 g |
Ratios and shares
- Sodium : potassium: 0.10 (below 1 favours blood pressure; the WHO goal is near 0.6).
- Saturated fat share of energy: 7.2% (guideline: under 10%).
- Protein density: 9.8 g of protein per 100 kcal.
- Omega-3, per serving: 319 mg in total, including EPA + DHA 34 mg (DPA 11 mg, ALA 274 mg). Omega-6 : omega-3 ratio 7.1 : 1.
Fats by type (per serving)
| Fatty acid | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 16:0 palmitic (saturated) † | 2,486 mg |
| 18:0 stearic (saturated) † | 568 mg |
| 18:1 oleic (monounsaturated) † | 10,833 mg |
| 18:2 linoleic, LA (omega-6) † | 2,185 mg |
| 20:4 arachidonic, AA (omega-6) † | 69 mg |
| 18:3 alpha-linolenic, ALA (omega-3) † | 274 mg |
| 20:5 EPA (omega-3) † | 11 mg |
| 22:5 DPA (omega-3) † | 11 mg |
| 22:6 DHA (omega-3) † | 23 mg |
Essential amino acids (per serving, against the daily need of a 74 kg / 163 lb adult)
| Amino acid | Per serving | Daily need | Share of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Histidine | 1.16 g | 0.74 g | 158% |
| Isoleucine | 1.97 g | 1.48 g | 134% |
| Leucine | 2.82 g | 2.88 g | 98% |
| Lysine | 3.16 g | 2.21 g | 143% |
| Methionine + cysteine | 1.51 g | 1.11 g | 136% |
| Phenylalanine + tyrosine | 2.79 g | 1.84 g | 151% |
| Threonine | 1.61 g | 1.11 g | 145% |
| Tryptophan | 0.45 g | 0.30 g | 152% |
| Valine | 1.89 g | 1.92 g | 99% |
Vitamins and minerals (per serving)
Daily references are the U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes for an adult man (31-50).
| Nutrient | Per serving | Daily reference | Share of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 191 µg | 900 µg | 21% |
| Vitamin D, total † | 0.1 µg | 15 µg | 1% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) † | 3.81 mg | 15 mg | 25% |
| Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) † | 70.6 µg | 120 µg | 59% |
| B1 thiamin † | 0.27 mg | 1.2 mg | 22% |
| B2 riboflavin † | 0.36 mg | 1.3 mg | 27% |
| B3 niacin † | 17.3 mg | 16 mg | 108% |
| B5 pantothenic acid † | 2.11 mg | 5 mg | 42% |
| B6 † | 1.26 mg | 1.3 mg | 97% |
| B9 folate, total (DFE) † | 93.6 µg | 400 µg | 23% |
| B12, total † | 0.4 µg | 2.4 µg | 16% |
| Vitamin C | 175 mg | 90 mg | 195% |
| Choline (vitamin-like) † | 133 mg | 550 mg | 24% |
| Calcium | 110 mg | 1,000 mg | 11% |
| Magnesium | 99.4 mg | 420 mg | 24% |
| Sodium | 124 mg | 2,300 mg (limit) | 5% |
| Potassium | 1,178 mg | 3,400 mg | 35% |
| Phosphorus | 380 mg | 700 mg | 54% |
| Iron, total | 3.24 mg | 8 mg | 41% |
| Zinc | 2.20 mg | 11 mg | 20% |
| Copper | 0.26 mg | 0.9 mg | 29% |
| Manganese | 0.61 mg | 2.3 mg | 27% |
| Selenium † | 32.7 µg | 55 µg | 59% |
Phytonutrients (per serving)
- Lutein + zeaxanthin: 599 µg †
- Beta-carotene: 1,967 µg †
- Lycopene: 14 µg †
- Phytosterols: 56 mg †
- Flavonoids: 2 mg †
- Polyphenols: 13 mg GAE †
Glycemic impact (estimate)
Almost all the carbohydrate is in non-starchy vegetables, which barely raise blood sugar; the chicken and olive oil slow it further. An estimate. With about 16 g of available carbohydrate per serving, the glycemic load works out to roughly 2–4 (low is 10 or under, high is 20 or over).
Watch-outs
- Oxalate: not yet researched for Red bell pepper, Radishes, Yellow squash, Cucumber, Red cabbage, Chicken breast, cooked, Olive oil, Red wine vinegar (a low-oxalate diet for kidney-stone prevention aims for under 100 mg a day).
Dog check
Not as written: contains Red wine vinegar, marked ‘avoid (acidic)’; Lemon juice, marked ‘avoid (acidic, psoralens in rind)’. Set aside some plain chicken, cucumber and squash before dressing; a little cabbage is fine but can cause gas.
Notes
- Keeps 2–3 days in the fridge, dressed or not; the cucumber softens first. Chicken keeps 3–4 days cooked.
- For a dog: the vinegar and lemon make the dressed salad unsuitable. Set aside some plain chicken, cucumber and squash for him before dressing; a little cabbage is fine but can cause gas.
Recipe by Tony Seliquini, October 2026. Named by Tony.
Written October 2026 · part of the Recipes collection.