Sometimes... I get REALLY excited about a salad.

sadiebrawl
sadiebrawl Posts: 863 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Last night we had a warm pearl cous cous salad for dinner with tomato's, portobello, zucchini, eggplant and onions... It was one of the best meals I've had in a very long time.

Today for lunch I have baby romaine, love beets, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, asaparagus, cucumber and grilled chicken. Just with oil and salt, and it's fracking awesome.

Anyone else in the same boat? do healthy foods actually excite you now?
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Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Sometimes yeah. Remove the mushrooms and those sound great!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I've always enjoyed a well-made salad or some delicious well-cooked vegetables, so I don't see this as a change, but sure.
  • br3adman
    br3adman Posts: 284 Member
    I don't get excited about salads. I get excited when the scale drops tho lol
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    I'm with ya...when it's warm outside, not much sounds better to me than a fresh crisp salad with fresh seasonal fruit, pecans, and loads of fresh vegetables from the garden. Plus, my CSA always has locally grown greens in the Spring and fall. Salad is all I eat for weeks!
  • crystalewhite
    crystalewhite Posts: 422 Member
    Totally agree. I also feel the same way about a perfectly grilled chicken breast, those dry out easily.
  • sadiebrawl
    sadiebrawl Posts: 863 Member
    Any interesting/favorite salad combo's you want to share? I usually do the basics, but today I went crazy go nuts at the salad bar.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited August 2015
    sadiebrawl wrote: »
    Any interesting/favorite salad combo's you want to share? I usually do the basics, but today I went crazy go nuts at the salad bar.

    Lettuce, goat cheese, beets, walnuts and smoked salmon is my favorite. Otherwise it's usually Greek (minus olives), or taco. I love cobb salad too but I'm too lazy to cook bacon and hard boiled eggs for it.

    Or this one. So good. I add shrimp now for more protein. But man I got to make it again!

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10184311/california-roll-salad-less-than-330-calories
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I love adding cooked vegetables to my salads to make them more interesting (and because I get a CSA box so am generally using what I have).

    I've also had a ridiculous amount of cucumber and tomatoes lately, so in addition to gazpacho (another love of mine), I do a cucumber and tomato salad with some roasted and cooked vegetables (cauliflower and/or squash most recently, as well as some pan fried mushrooms), edamame, and then a spicy Asian-influenced dressing (soy, fish sauce, lime, and sriracha). Then whatever meat I have -- skirt steak is really good, but I did some tuna steak yesterday.

    My standby is usually Greek-ish, though, because I love olives and feta.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    I too get a lady hard-on for salads, but I would encourage you to add something acidic all salads need a bit of pizzaz
  • ejbronte
    ejbronte Posts: 867 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    ... gazpacho (another love of mine), I do a cucumber and tomato salad with some roasted and cooked vegetables (cauliflower and/or squash most recently, as well as some pan fried mushrooms), edamame, and then a spicy Asian-influenced dressing (soy, fish sauce, lime, and sriracha). Then whatever meat I have -- skirt steak is really good, but I did some tuna steak yesterday...

    I make gazpacho, too: my Spanish father was very religious about how we made it and I've turned out the same way: fresh tomato only - no canned; no juice, no sauce; about 2x as much tomato as peeled cucumber. Some onion. One garlic clove. Some green pepper (I use red or yellow, too, now). Olive oil - not too much, as it's blending. We often left the vinegar out and added it at the table because we liked to try different kinds at each sitting. Lately I've been substituting fresh lemon juice for the vinegar and add it before the blending.

    Add a little water, enriched with the leftover blend from the blender container, then store in the fridge for a few hours. No ice cubes. Shake before serving.

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Absolute. My salad today was spinach, shrimp, laughing cow cheese, avocado, tomato, and chipotle hot sauce. When I'm not in a deficit I add extra avocado and black beans. And it definitely excites me.
  • louubelle16
    louubelle16 Posts: 579 Member
    If a salad has lettuce in it, I'm not interested. I prefer to make my own salads and replace lettuce with extra tomato, avocado and cucumber. Really do not like eating leaves, bleurgh.
  • court_alacarte
    court_alacarte Posts: 219 Member
    louubelle16 wrote: »
    If a salad has lettuce in it, I'm not interested. I prefer to make my own salads and replace lettuce with extra tomato, avocado and cucumber. Really do not like eating leaves, bleurgh.

    amen. my salads are usually 80% toppings and 20% lettuce, haha. it gets in the way!

    i get excited about chipotle. does that count?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    ejbronte wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    ... gazpacho (another love of mine), I do a cucumber and tomato salad with some roasted and cooked vegetables (cauliflower and/or squash most recently, as well as some pan fried mushrooms), edamame, and then a spicy Asian-influenced dressing (soy, fish sauce, lime, and sriracha). Then whatever meat I have -- skirt steak is really good, but I did some tuna steak yesterday...

    I make gazpacho, too: my Spanish father was very religious about how we made it and I've turned out the same way: fresh tomato only - no canned; no juice, no sauce; about 2x as much tomato as peeled cucumber. Some onion. One garlic clove. Some green pepper (I use red or yellow, too, now). Olive oil - not too much, as it's blending. We often left the vinegar out and added it at the table because we liked to try different kinds at each sitting. Lately I've been substituting fresh lemon juice for the vinegar and add it before the blending.

    Add a little water, enriched with the leftover blend from the blender container, then store in the fridge for a few hours. No ice cubes. Shake before serving.

    Sounds delicious. I can't imagine using canned tomatoes or tomato juice, but then I only make it in the summer when we are overrun with fresh tomatoes.

    A few weeks ago when I was overrun with cucumbers but had no tomatoes yet I finally started experimenting with
    green (or white) gazpachos, which I've always meant to do. I have since discovered that cantaloupe and cucumbers actually work pretty well as a base.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    louubelle16 wrote: »
    If a salad has lettuce in it, I'm not interested. I prefer to make my own salads and replace lettuce with extra tomato, avocado and cucumber. Really do not like eating leaves, bleurgh.

    I'm pretty fond of arugula and spinach, but otherwise I don't care much about lettuce or prefer my greens cooked.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    I don't get excited about the salad as a whole, but sometimes if I know my salad has like goat cheese and beets in it I really look forward to it. It's mostly the cheese I get excited about.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    That's funny, you lettuce haters. I eat so much of it that I actually have to weigh it because it comes in at a couple hundred calories every week.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Beets in a salad are the best! Especially with arugula and goat cheese.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    This time of the year I'm a little sick of salads. About January, when most of the greens have died out, I'll start to miss them. And by early Spring I'll be craving them and anxiously awaiting the early greens to get big enough to harvest.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    ejbronte wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    ... gazpacho (another love of mine), I do a cucumber and tomato salad with some roasted and cooked vegetables (cauliflower and/or squash most recently, as well as some pan fried mushrooms), edamame, and then a spicy Asian-influenced dressing (soy, fish sauce, lime, and sriracha). Then whatever meat I have -- skirt steak is really good, but I did some tuna steak yesterday...

    I make gazpacho, too: my Spanish father was very religious about how we made it and I've turned out the same way: fresh tomato only - no canned; no juice, no sauce; about 2x as much tomato as peeled cucumber. Some onion. One garlic clove. Some green pepper (I use red or yellow, too, now). Olive oil - not too much, as it's blending. We often left the vinegar out and added it at the table because we liked to try different kinds at each sitting. Lately I've been substituting fresh lemon juice for the vinegar and add it before the blending.

    Add a little water, enriched with the leftover blend from the blender container, then store in the fridge for a few hours. No ice cubes. Shake before serving.

    Sounds delicious. I can't imagine using canned tomatoes or tomato juice, but then I only make it in the summer when we are overrun with fresh tomatoes.

    A few weeks ago when I was overrun with cucumbers but had no tomatoes yet I finally started experimenting with
    green (or white) gazpachos, which I've always meant to do. I have since discovered that cantaloupe and cucumbers actually work pretty well as a base.[/quot

    I want gazpacho now! Never made it sounds very easy
  • tyoung8
    tyoung8 Posts: 115 Member
    Yes!!! I have been making some of the best salads lately!! see below

    Buffalo Blue
    Tyson Crispy buffalo strips (bake them as opposed to frying to save calories; but can use grilled chicken breast) tossed in buffalo sauce
    blue cheese crumbles
    egg
    diced tomato
    lettuce
    red onion (makes any salad go crazy)
    ranch dressing
    bacon bits

    Basic Grilled
    Grilled chicken (marinade in jalapeno juice and spices)
    Lettuce
    diced tomato
    red onion
    shredded mild cheddar cheese
    egg
    bacon bits

    Chipotle Mexican
    chicken
    shredded lettuce
    pico de gallo
    cheese
    sour cream
    hot salsa
    more shredded lettuce

    Home made Mexican
    lettuce
    gound turkey
    shredded cheddar
    red onion
    jalepenos
    sour cream
    pico de gallo
  • sadiebrawl
    sadiebrawl Posts: 863 Member
    For the lettuce haters, every try steams or roasted broccoli as a base? I've done that and topped with fresh tomatoes, cheese and sometimes seeds. I sometimes add lemon. Not a fan of most vinegars.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    sadiebrawl wrote: »
    For the lettuce haters, every try steams or roasted broccoli as a base? I've done that and topped with fresh tomatoes, cheese and sometimes seeds. I sometimes add lemon. Not a fan of most vinegars.

    Whole grains (tabbouleh, anyone?) and/or beans make a great salad base too. I especially love quinoa or kasha as a salad base.
  • scyian
    scyian Posts: 243 Member
    I get excited about all food all the time. I have just purchased a spirilizer and yes, I'm excited about my salad for lunch tomorrow.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I get excited about colors, and salads are the best for adding lots of different colored foods.
  • louubelle16
    louubelle16 Posts: 579 Member
    sadiebrawl wrote: »
    For the lettuce haters, every try steams or roasted broccoli as a base? I've done that and topped with fresh tomatoes, cheese and sometimes seeds. I sometimes add lemon. Not a fan of most vinegars.

    Oooh, I may try it with broccoli, that sounds yum!
  • keefmac
    keefmac Posts: 313 Member
    Onion, chopped tomatoes, diced red pepper, sliced red chilli, chicken tika pieces, chopped chipotles, cap full of hot chilli powder and a few forkfulls of pickled red cabbage for me tomorrow.

    I like a freshly toasted pita bread to go with it too!.

    Never was a fan of salads but realised it was the lettuce that put me off.
  • ejbronte
    ejbronte Posts: 867 Member
    ldrosophila wrote: »
    I want gazpacho now! Never made it sounds very easy

    Very easy! Just prep the veggies, throw them in the blender and let the machine go to work.

    To Lemurcat12 and all - the white gazpachos are lovely, though I haven't made any yet. I do like cucumber, fresh and raw, on hot days.

    Here's a related very simple, though hot soup from my father's family - garlic soup:

    Heat olive oil in a pot.
    Lightly toast about four cloves of garlic, halved.
    Then, lightly toast, on both sides, maybe two or three slices of French or Italian style bread, about .5" thick.
    Pour water to cover and bring to a boil.
    Slide in two eggs to poach.
    Cover pot and let the whole thing simmer for about ten minutes.

    When serving, a little acid, like vinegar or lemon, works well.

    If you have a cold and don't feel like chicken soup, this will do it for you!

  • CatShelton
    CatShelton Posts: 147 Member
    I had the best salad last night! I wanted it again today. I bought a full strawberry fields salad from wendy's then came home and dressed it up the way I wanted. I threw away the dressing it comes with and the candied sunflower seeds (too much sugar) and I added 1oz of slice almonds, 1 oz of crumbled goat cheese, some baby spinach leaves, and avocado oil/raspberry balsamic for dressing. It was so good! I want it again soon for sure!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    ejbronte wrote: »
    ldrosophila wrote: »
    I want gazpacho now! Never made it sounds very easy

    Very easy! Just prep the veggies, throw them in the blender and let the machine go to work.

    To Lemurcat12 and all - the white gazpachos are lovely, though I haven't made any yet. I do like cucumber, fresh and raw, on hot days.

    Here's a related very simple, though hot soup from my father's family - garlic soup:

    Heat olive oil in a pot.
    Lightly toast about four cloves of garlic, halved.
    Then, lightly toast, on both sides, maybe two or three slices of French or Italian style bread, about .5" thick.
    Pour water to cover and bring to a boil.
    Slide in two eggs to poach.
    Cover pot and let the whole thing simmer for about ten minutes.

    When serving, a little acid, like vinegar or lemon, works well.

    If you have a cold and don't feel like chicken soup, this will do it for you!

    Definitely trying this. Thanks!

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