A heart-healthy salad recipe perfect for spring

When preparing meals, it helps to start with a protein and build from there. Once you've decided on your protein-rich ingredient (in this case we're using eggs and chicken, both of which should preferably be from grass-fed chickens), you can build on that by adding high-fibre foods like the peppers and greens found here.

Taken from digestive-care expert Dr. Brenda Watson's book, Heart of Perfect Health, this recipe is perfect for lunch as the protein content, combined with high-fibre count, will help keep you feeling full for longer -- meaning bye-bye afternoon sugar crash. Each recipe is also designed to combat heart disease -- a leading cause of death among women in Canada. High-fibre chicken lime cobb salad

Ingredients
Dressing 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup low-fat buttermilk 2 teaspoons minced jarred pickled jalapeño pepper Juice of 1 lime 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

Salad 8 ounces cooked chicken breast, chopped ½ red bell pepper, chopped ½ green bell pepper, chopped ¼ red onion, chopped 1 medium tomato, chopped ½ avocado, chopped ¼ cup reduced-fat blue cheese crumbles 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped 2 cups mixed salad greens

Directions In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients. Drizzle on the dressing and serve.

Dr. Brenda Watson is the New York Times best-selling author of The Fiber35 Diet, and one of the foremost authorities on natural digestive care and nutrition.