Salad ideas

raspeary

Hit me with some ideas for salads for lunches. We typically have a simple tossed salad with dinner every night so need ideas on lunch salads to change it up some

Katmary71

I've been having 2 salads a day.

My usual- spring greens with red pepper, carrot, parsley, basil, green onion, cherry tomatoes, jicama, and cucumber with tuna shredded chicken salmon or beans, sometimes sunflower seeds, and a creamy Bolthouse dressing. My favorites are sweet chipotle and creamy garlic though ranch, salsa ranch, mango habanero, or creamy balsamic are good too.

Fall salad- red lettuce with apple, persimmon, and/or pear, pomegranate seeds, feta, sunflower seeds or almond slivers (made maple walnuts for it on Thanksgiving) and a champagne, poppyseed, sesame ginger, or cranberry vinaigrette.

MelanieCN77

Check out the "For love of produce" thread - lots of great and unusual variety in there.

acpgee

This is a great salad resource.

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html

kshama2001

For entree salads I include more lettuce, a full serving of protein, and a carb. So for Thai beef salad, I include some rice. When we grill burgers, I make myself a large salad with homemade Thousand Island dressing and an ounce of tortilla chips.

AnnPT77

Consider that you can do slaw-type salads with shredded almost-anything (carrots, jicama, broccoli, apples, zucchini, cucumber, pears, you name it), and a seasoned homemade vinaigrette. Greek-yogurt-based dressings, or cottage cheese mixed in, are also good choices. Salsa for dressing is another option.

Any meat that tastes good for protein, or beans (white, red, black, chickpea, etc.), or a sturdy cheese (there are some lower calorie ones like paneer or feta that won't disintegrate in dressing, and even if they do disintegrate, the flavor and nutrients are there ).

Cooked grains of all types are good in salads, and quinoa has a bit more protein than most. Nuts or seeds add crunch, and healthy fats (add just before serving for best crunch).

If you like pasta salads, consider trying some of the newer chickpea pastas (including chickpea "rice") that have a little more protein, but still the pasta-type mouthfeel.