Any good ideas to make salad extra tasty

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natabugg
natabugg Posts: 43
in Food and Nutrition
Hey everyone does anyone have any good ideas to make a salad extra tasty? My husband and I usually just have lettuce, carrots and cherry tomatoes. I'm afraid to put anymore stuff in for the fear of gaining calories in the salad.

We're looking for just either side salad or even main dinner salad ideas!

Thanks
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Replies

  • natabugg
    natabugg Posts: 43
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    Hey everyone does anyone have any good ideas to make a salad extra tasty? My husband and I usually just have lettuce, carrots and cherry tomatoes. I'm afraid to put anymore stuff in for the fear of gaining calories in the salad.

    We're looking for just either side salad or even main dinner salad ideas!

    Thanks
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
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    Ohhhhooo! I have good stuff for this one.

    -Lets see, crasins for sweet,

    -other stuff, shredded, skim milk mozzerella cheese
    -Pine nuts or sunflower seeds
    -mushrooms (I like marinated but you can go with just out of the store mushrooms)
    -broccoli
    -Snow peas are great
    -baby corns
    -Bacon bits if you like them
    -raddish slices
    -beats
    -mini onions
    -field greens are usually better then straight lettuce because the actually have vitamins in them. :tongue:
    -cucumbers
    lets see, what else did I forget
    oh, bean sprouts, apples, tangerine slices
    There's more but I can't think of any others off the top of my head.
  • jnuttsing
    jnuttsing Posts: 11
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    I like rice noodles. You don't have to use many but they give you a little crunch in your salad. Not chow mien noodles...rice noodles. Oriental section.
  • brendab
    brendab Posts: 78
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    1 tbsp of finely chopped onion
    2 tbsp sliced salad olives
    1/4 cup sliced cucumber
    I've even placed 1 oz of leftover grilled chicken breast seasoned with garlic powder
    Some other things I like were listed by another.....
    Bren:drinker:
  • SGFlyinHi
    SGFlyinHi Posts: 469 Member
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    Italian Seasoning
  • mel_istheshit
    mel_istheshit Posts: 102
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    Green peppers and mushrooms! Yum!

    I also like to vary from just the regular side salad and play with different fruit, cheese and nut combos... bonus points for making your own vinagrette :tongue:
  • MontanaGirl
    MontanaGirl Posts: 1,251 Member
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    Lots of good ideas here! And so many of them are very low calorie. Alfalfa sprouts and radish sprouts are very good for you and contribute 1 calorie per tablespoon. The radish ones are slightly spicy. 1 cup of peeled cucumber has 5 cal, a litle spinich if you like it adds texture and vitamins for 7 cal/cup. Colored bell peppers add about 20 - 25 cal, depending on the variety, per cup. A half cup would be plenty for a single serving of salad. Have fun with it!! The fruit, craisins or raisins and apples are very good too for a little extra punch. A low fat salad dressing is great - but a lot of the vitamins in these veggies are fat soluable - so if you don't have some healthy fat - in the dressing, add avacados or nuts - your body won't be able to absorb them. Enjoy!! :happy:
  • momathome
    momathome Posts: 72
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    This all sounds so yummy it is making me hungrey. I like to put shrimp in my salad. I cook a few up with some garlic and throw on top and it makes it nice and tasty along with peas, carrots, peppers, cucumbers, sometimes cheese.
  • ali106
    ali106 Posts: 3,754 Member
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    Oh one of my favorite salads has the following ingredients

    Field Greens
    red grapes sliced in half
    gorgonzola
    pistaschios
    grilled chicken

    white ziffendel vinegarette

    omg sooooo good...

    only a tiny bit of gorgonzola goes a long way makes it nice and creamy!

    hugs!
    Ali
  • monicakelly21
    monicakelly21 Posts: 63
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    Definitely use a mesclin mix or mixed greens
    almonds...especially good if you are making a meal out of it
    apples or pears, trust me its delicious
    grapes are awesome too
    dried cranberries

    As for the dressing, go for homemade. I add 1/4 cup of olive oil, lemon, maple syrup..maybe 2 tbs, and a bit of balsamic vinegar..no more than 1 tsp, its strong stuff.

    You could replace the maple syrup with strawberries blended as well.
  • jessneill
    jessneill Posts: 380 Member
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    I think I'm going to have a salad tonight! I love salad!

    I also like to add some low-fat or fat-free feta to my salad. :smile:
  • natabugg
    natabugg Posts: 43
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    thanks all I'm off to try some of the suggestions!! If anyone has anymore let me know!
  • ohthatbambi
    ohthatbambi Posts: 1,098 Member
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    sunflower seeds
    cashews
    feta cheese
    homemade italian dressing with balsamic vinegar
  • catlover
    catlover Posts: 389
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    I love cobb salad, with chicken, please. Sometimes my family gets burned out with salad as the side, so I make it the whole dinner. I just use lower fat ingrediants than the traditional restaurant version and serve it with some nice, thick, chewy kind of bread....
  • mydogmesa2
    mydogmesa2 Posts: 205 Member
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    I love chewy and crunchy in my salad. I always add raisins and asian rice noodles to my salad and sometimes sunflower seeds. Its the best with orange sesame dressing and only 150 calories for 2.5 cups:love:
  • dmflynt
    dmflynt Posts: 196
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    I always add celery and green peppers....volume, crunch, and flavor with very little calories! Use different types of greens, too (iceberg, romaine, butter lettuce, raw spinach). Cucumbers and mushrooms add volume without many calories, too, but I don't like either one of them.

    Be careful with cheeses, eggs, croutons....very calorie-rich!

    We have switched to low-fat dressings, as well.......low fat ranch, low fat balsamic vinegrette, low fat Catalina....YUMMY! Reduce the calories even more by keeping the dressing on the side....dip your fork into the dressing before spearing a bite of salad. A little goes a long way!
  • Cowboy
    Cowboy Posts: 369 Member
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    Sugar snap peas
    Jicama
    Almost any kind of bean
    Kalamata Olives
    fresh pears
    Radishes
    Zucchini
  • its time for change
    its time for change Posts: 166
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    My favorite salad is a dinner meal for me, I could eat it twice a week:

    1/2 cup black beans
    2 grilled chicken breast tenders
    2 cups baby spinach
    2 tbsp sour cream
    2 tsp hot sauce

    You can add some portabello mushrooms that you sautee in water and seasoning
    cucumber, etc.

    It is super filling , low in calories,and it gets my taste buds going with the sour and spicy from the hot sauce, and the creamy from the sour cream.
  • jessneill
    jessneill Posts: 380 Member
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    mmm.. I'm having taco salad tonight, made with Turkey meat, salsa, fat free sour cream and then I break up baked tortilla chips on top... so good! :smile:
  • dogwdots
    dogwdots Posts: 146
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    Hearts of Palm
    kalmata olives
    artichoke hearts
    flavored rice vinegars ( you won't need to use oils that way)

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