Salads

Linzer3

What does everyone like in their salad that is actually good for them? Looking for some new "healthier" salad ideas! Dressing too!

VanillaBeanSeed

Ill throw anything into a salad! I live to add some rinsed canned beans, and some thawed frozen corn sometimes!

fit921

I don't use dressing. My favorite salad right now is Arugala with lemon squeezed on it then I add 1/4 cottage cheese (fat free), roasted red pepper, chicken, avocado, banana peppers. chick peas or black beans.
Salads for me are usually always different because it just depends on what's in the fridge.

leomom72

i dont eat salads much anymore really..the only way i like salads is way too bad for me..the reason i was fat i guess..i usually stick to tomatoes and cukes, and maybe a hard boiled egg..you can mix a little bit of chopped apples, mandarin oranges and grilled chicken with a little bit of italian dressing, kinda like they have at chick-fil-a

Atarahh

Try sliced almonds or craisins. Also olives give a nice natural flavoring.

I found a Yogurt Dressing by Bolthouse Farms that is only 45 calories per 2 tbsp.

thinclo

love garlic roasted chickpeas or cous cous & olives in mine with a dressing made of extra virgin olive oil, fresh chilli,chives and lemon juice. yummy

bj6886

chunks of an apple or a pear, raw trail mix with or without cranberries.

AliceKlaar

For a side-salad I tend to chop up lettuce, cucumber, celery, bell pepper, red onion (not a massive fan of raw tomatoes), I also like to add chopped apple or pear or grated carrot and/or raw mushrooms sometimes. I always use Herbamare for seasoning and balsamic vinegar to dress. Like the other posters - for a main course salad, anything goes! Tuna, cold pasta, cannellini beans - a Nicoise salad (lettuce, cucumber, onion, cherry tomatoes, with fresh/tinned tuna, anchovies if liked, new potatoes, blanched string beans and low fat vinaigrette) is always a good option. And couscous with roasted veg (I tend to do zucchini, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, with garlic and chili if liked) and feta cheese, finished with a squeeze of lemon and chopped mint/cilantro is nice. (I'm in the UK so I hope I've translated the food items okay!)

SoDamnHungry

Roasted sunflower seeds and celery. I also like ranch on mine...=) Not as healthy.

My1985Freckles

Today I am putting a hard-boiled egg on my salad, 1.5oz. of sharp cheddar cheese (in little cubes), and 100g's of pineapple. I'm using FF Catalina today because I am finishing it off, but I actually prefer vinaigrettes. Especially the Viadlia Onion. I use half dressing/half water so the flavor goes further.

I also make my own. It is a recipe for Red Thai Curry Marinade.



Kikkoman - Rice Vinegar, 4 tbsp
Thai Kitchen - Red Curry Paste, 4 tbsp (15 g)
Fresh Raw (Nutritiondata.Com) - Cilantro,
Christopher Ranch Garlic Minced In Water - Garlic, 6 tsp
Sugars - Brown, 3 tsp packed packed
Olive Oil - Extra Virgin (Great Value), 4 Tbs

I mix all ingredients in a big measuring cup and add water until the total mix is 2 cups. Each serving is 1/4 cup

Per Serving: 78Calories 4carbs 0protein 7fat 2sugar 197sodium

You can always play with the proportions to change up the fat/sodium contents. But it is DELICIOUS!!!!!


I also LOVE topping greens with Homemade Hawaiian Salsa (makes 20 half cup servings)

Cucumber - Peeled, raw, 2 cup, pared, chopped
Peppers - Jalapeno, raw, 4 pepper
Onions - Raw, 0.67 cup, chopped
Walmart Great Value - Light Brown Sugar, 6 tsp (4g)
Fresh Raw (Nutritiondata.Com) - Cilantro, 1 oz
Dole - Fresh-Cut Pineapple, 16 oz.
Kroger - Roma Tomato- Medium, 6 medium (4 oz.)

Per Serving: 32calories 7carbs 1protein 1fat 6sugar 3sodium

ETA: Be sure to wear gloves when chopping the jalapenos... learned that painful lesson the hard way. AND seed them. Hubby made the salsa once without seeding the jalapenos and we thought our lips were going to burn off! (Although the next day the potency of the seeds was gone and it wasn't as hot)

BeeSunny

I throw anything on a salad, left over steamed peas, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, egg, apple, orange, almonds, walnuts, avocado, almost anything.

sjkcarter

I usually do mixed greens or baby spinach, asparugus, cherry tomatos, cucumber, grilled chicken breast, and a light or fat free vinagrette.

My1985Freckles

I've been known to throw a snack cup of mandarin oranges on a salad. The juice was my dressing. It was delicious! Throw on a few sliced almonds for crunch, an egg or chicken for protein, and some cheese (a salad seems naked without it lol). Delicious! Just don't go overboard on the cheese.

The sweet and spicy tuna by starkist is also awesome on salad. Any seasoned tuna really because it has extra "juice" to it and doubles as a dressing.

AmyLRed

my usual salad:

2 c baby spinach
cheese and garlic croutons
grape tomatoes
store brand lite honey mustard dressing, or plain greek yogurt


I sometimes make pistachio chicken and add that (chicken, rolled in crushed pistachios and baked, soooo good!)
also apples, strawberries, craisins, any left over meat from the fridge, pistachios or slivered almonds

Edited to add: cucumbers too!

nortiekeeks

bump!

k8es

Here's a link to a salad I love http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-pasta-salad-50400000109578/ I throw some shrimp on it to make it a meal and be sure to slice the red onions thin otherwise they overpower

This was an interesting salad that I tried last night. It has spinach, avocado, grapefruit, quinoa and I love anything from skinnytaste.com http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/03/spinach-and-quinoa-salad-with.html

ChavezCurse

1) Lettuce or Spinach, seedless cucumber, grape tomato, red onion, canned and rinsed chick peas, canned tuna, w EVOO, Balsamic Vinegar, lemon juice, little salt and pepper and I'll this with cardboard tasting crackers

2) Lettuce or Spinach, seedless cucumber, grape tomato, red onion, canned and rinsed chick peas, feta or blue cheese, hardboiled egg whites, and a raspberry vinaigrette or any other vinaigrette I may have.

3) Lettuce or Spinach, seedless cucumber, grape tomato, red onion, black beans, canned corn, cilantro, serrano peppers, grilled blackened chicken and just plain lime juice as a dressing.

4) Mixed greens and chopped romaine, w dried cherries or cranberries, walnuts, fuji apples w a green apple white balsamic vinaigrette.

5) Mixed greens and baby spinach, sliced asian pears, strawberries, sliced almonds or walnuts, blue cheese and ginger walnut vinaigrette.

6) Spinach, seedless cucumber, red onion, red bell pepper, orange segments chopped pecans and citrus vinaigrette.

81Katz

Romaine lettuce, spinach, black beans, apples, craisins, nuts (walnuts or sliced almonds), avocado (half) cherry tomatoes, Wishbone spritzer (dressing) *I like the italian and the balsamic breeze, leftover chicken breast, red onions, cucumbers, peppers. So many things such as they above that I like to add to different salads.

My advice don't put things on your salad like heavy dressing, cheese, crackers, croutons, bacon bits, etc. I used to eat salads like that, no wonder they were not very healthy!

Cheri_Moves

I love butter leaf lettuce and every salad has to have a sweet/savory aspect:

apples, strawberries, raisins, whole baby carrots for crunch, tomatoes, broccoli, green onion and seeds/nuts

and I love yogurt ranches! Or a light raspberry vinaigrette!

Yummm! Now I wanna eat