Apple, Grape Havarti Salad

A great challenge this month from Recipe ReDux – create a healthy recipe inspired by a favorite food scene from any movie in honor of the upcoming Oscars.  I love romantic comedies, especially those that end happily. And one of my favorite movies is French Kiss starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline from 1995. Could it be that I was still in high school when this movie was released? Makes me feel old wise.  The movie has Kate (Meg Ryan) chasing after her fiance in France (who broke off the engagement to be with another woman) and she meets Luc (Kevin Kline) on the plane.   Luc is a French man who has had a little trouble with the law, but also wants to eventually start his own vineyard.  He helps her, she helps him, it’s a great story line.  One of my favorite scenes (only as a registered dietitian is this scene a favorite!) is on the train through France when the lactose intolerant Kate (Meg Ryan), after sampling many French cheeses, becomes sick and has to get off the train with Luc (Kevin Kline) at his hometown where they then spend time at his family vineyard and sparks start to fly.

This brings up a great topic…could Kate have still consumed dairy foods if she really was lactose intolerant?
Most likely, YES!

Here are simple tips I would suggest:

  • Sip it and pair it. Start with a small amount of milk daily and increase slowly over the course of several days or weeks to build tolerance. And try it with another food. The perfect pair – fruit smoothies. Or pair it with solid foods to help slow digestion and allow the body more time to digest lactose.
  • Cheese (and calcium) please. Most cheeses are lower in lactose making them easier to digest. Parmesan, Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Havarti and Mozzarella are good choices.  A colleague from Midwest Dairy Association shared an easy trick to check for lactose: just check the cheese label and look for the sugar content.  Milk products naturally contain lactose, a milk sugar, and the label will state the amount as sugar.  Many cheeses have very little to no lactose.
  • Try it. Try lactose-free milk and milk products, like Lactaid. These real milk products have lower amounts of or zero lactose and provide the same nutrients as regular dairy foods (protein, calcium, vitamin D and potassium).
  • Spoon it. Enjoy yogurt, traditional and Greek-style. Both contain live and active cultures that help your body digest lactose. And cottage cheese is low in lactose as well.
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What a great way to celebrate the Oscars – by enjoying this simple salad made with cheese, helping you enjoy dairy again.  Make it a main dish by adding a cooked chicken breast, or even sliced sirloin.  And of course, I had to throw in grapes to celebrate French Kiss.

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Apple, Grape and Havarti Salad

Serves 2 main dish servings or 4 side dish servings.

  • 4 cups baby spinach
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 1 cup grapes, halved
  • 3 ounces Havarti cheese, cubed
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
  • 3-4 tablespoons poppyseed dressing
  1. Layer spinach, apples, grapes, cheese and walnuts on two large plates.  Top with dressing before serving.

As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians, The Recipe ReDux aims to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover. Thank you for visiting. We hope you enjoy!

10 Comments

  1. nutritionbudgeteer on February 22, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    Very creative post. Great way to discuss and give tips for lactose intolerance. Loved that movie. Your recipe looks fabulous.

    • Jen Haugen on February 23, 2013 at 6:42 pm

      Thank you! I am all about fresh yet simple recipes and this one is one of my favorites!

    • Lisa on March 7, 2013 at 8:57 pm

      Yum! Added garbanzo beans seasoned with olive oil and sea salt, along with dried cranberries. So refreshing!

  2. mbrighton@brightonyourhealth.com on February 22, 2013 at 4:35 pm

    Love that movie too! Like nutritionbudgeteer said, your post is creative.

    • Jen Haugen on February 23, 2013 at 6:43 pm

      Thank you, I love blogging as a creative outlet, soooo much fun!

  3. Jenna Braddock, RD (@JBraddockRD) on February 22, 2013 at 8:26 pm

    This looks so yummy! I love the teaching points too.

    • Jen Haugen on February 23, 2013 at 6:44 pm

      It’s one of my family’s favorite recipes! Thanks for checking it out!

  4. Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil) on February 23, 2013 at 6:39 pm

    I love any type of fruit, cheese & nut combo for a salad – for some reason I rarely put grapes in a salad and need to start doing so. And if you think you are old, I was out of college when French Kiss came out! And don’t know how I never watched it as I was a big Meg Ryan fan – on the list now!

    • Jen Haugen on February 23, 2013 at 6:47 pm

      It’s a must watch, it’s one of those I could see over and over. Grapes and cheese are one of my favorite snacks, especially great together on this salad!

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