Salad topping ideas

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healthymomma14
healthymomma14 Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My family and I have started eating a lot more salads. As the weather continues to warm, we will eat more simple cold foods like salads, sandwiches, Etc I am looking for salad topping ideas. Currently we use a variety of salad mix, broccoli, cauliflower, diced ham, shredded cheese, mini pepperoni, black olives, cucumber, shredded chicken, pineapple, and blueberries when in season. Topped with bacon bits, croutons pt tortilla strips. My husband is allergic to tomatoes but every once in a while I will buy one for mine.

What do you put in your salads?
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Replies

  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
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    I eat a meal sized salad almost every day. One thing to be aware of-some toppings can be calorie bombs (like cheese, croutons/other crunchies, regular dressings etc).

    My go-to salad is spinach, broccoli, tomato, black and green olives, yellow pepper rings, diced onion, bell or sweet peppers and then a protein like shrimp or beans. Sometimes I'll also add a few pistachio nuts if I have extra calories. I use Kraft fat free Catalina dressing or Kraft low calorie Italian dressing. And then occasionally I'll use salsa and hot sauce (for a taco salad).
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    I like to make Cobb salads for dinner because they are full of protein: Lettuce, tomato, avocado, hard boiled egg, bacon, grilled chicken and cheese (traditionally blue cheese). I like to make an Italian salad with salami, cheese, olives, banana peppers and artichokes. Another favorite of ours is greens with blueberries, walnuts, feta cheese and grilled salmon. And also greens with beets, goat cheese and pistachios. I like thawed frozen peas and garbonzo beans on salads too because I like the crunch they provide. Bolthouse Farms and Litehouse both make good yogurt based dressings that are fairly low in calories, but I usually make my own vinagrette with oil, vinegar, honey, garlic and dijon mustard.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
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    Not really a topping, but one thing I always add to salads is black pepper. Soooo good.

    Along with some of the things you've already mentioned, I like to add avocado, grapes, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, crumbled feta, and diced strawberries. Not all at once, but in different types of salads.
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
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    Shredded zucchini and carrots, dried cherries with walnuts and goat cheese, mango
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,592 Member
    edited February 2019
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    The brand of vinegar I use is 10 calories per tbsp, and comes in many different (and intense) flavors. I use a dash of it in lieu of salad dressing.

    Halloumi cheese can be grilled like meat and does not melt. It has a texture sort of like chicken. I grill a couple of small slices, dice it up, and throw it in a salad. Trader Joe’s, sprouts, and Aldi have it sometimes, or Persian groceries sell it.

    Persian style feta cheese is amazing. Totally different from the crumbly kind that comes in tubs. It comes as a block which you slice and cube. It’s very creamy and goes particularly well on salads that include blueberries or strawberries.

    A great salad is a couple of tablespoons of taco meat or carnitas meat on lettuce, spinach, diced tomatoes, cilantro, along with a couple of tablespoons of Trader Joe’s roasted corn and a tablespoon of sour cream.

    An eighth of a cup (28 grams)of La Choy chow Mein noodles goes great on salads, enough to be a plentiful topping, and is only 16 calories.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    edited February 2019
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    In addition to your list, I put avocado, mango, strawberries, oranges, and sometimes I will make a taco style salad with lean ground beef and salsa.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
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    springlering62 wrote: »
    The brand of vinegar I use is 10 calories per tbsp, and comes in many different (and intense) flavors. I use a dash of it in lieu of salad dressing.

    Halloumi cheese can be grilled like meat and does not melt. It has a texture sort of like chicken. I grill a couple of small slices, dice it up, and throw it in a salad. Trader Joe’s, sprouts, and Aldi have it sometimes, or Persian groceries sell it.

    Persian style feta cheese is amazing. Totally different from the crumbly kind that comes in tubs. It comes as a block which you slice and cube. It’s very creamy and goes particularly well on salads that include blueberries or strawberries.

    A great salad is a couple of tablespoons of taco meat or carnitas meat on lettuce, spinach, diced tomatoes, cilantro, along with a couple of tablespoons of Trader Joe’s roasted corn and a tablespoon of sour cream.

    An eighth of a cup (28 grams)of La Choy chow Mein noodles goes great on salads, enough to be a plentiful topping, and is only 16 calories.

    Never had this before, I'll have to look for it next time I'm at Aldi :)
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    I like a lot of pickled toppings. In addition to red and green peppers, sliced onion, cucumber - I'll add pickled mushrooms, chopped pickled okra, heart of palm, artichoke heart, capers. Then some sort of lean protein and sometimes feta and strawberries or blackberries. Olive Garden Light Italian dressing.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
    edited February 2019
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    My favorite is warm oven roasted riced cauliflower, broccoli, and zucchini on top of lettuce with onion powder, truvia, garlic powder, italian seasoning, hot sauce, banana pepper, walden farms honey dijon, spicy mustard, onion, tomato, cucumber, green pepper and radish.
  • BattyKnitter
    BattyKnitter Posts: 503 Member
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    mom23mangos wrote: »
    I like a lot of pickled toppings. In addition to red and green peppers, sliced onion, cucumber - I'll add pickled mushrooms, chopped pickled okra, heart of palm, artichoke heart, capers. Then some sort of lean protein and sometimes feta and strawberries or blackberries. Olive Garden Light Italian dressing.

    Yes all the pickled things! I especially love spicy pickled eggplant!

  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
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    Hardboiled egg cut up on salads is great. I also like salsa as the dressing for less calories or I mix hot sauce with a little ranch. Black beans on a salad is good too.
  • GoodLardy
    GoodLardy Posts: 163 Member
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    Radish, beets, greens, bleu cheese or feta
  • Chrismadison100
    Chrismadison100 Posts: 70 Member
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    I add olive oil or avocado oil to my salads. It gives me the chance to add some healthy fat to my diet.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,624 Member
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    Some great ideas here!

    Each day I have a big salad for lunch. I have spring greens with shredded carrots, green onions, diced red pepper, mushrooms, a radish, cherry tomatoes, part of a can of either tuna or chicken, and a Bolthouse or poppyseed dressing.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    edited February 2019
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    Paremsean cheese, feta, sunflower seeds, artichoke hearts, onions. Sometimes I'll add canned chicken. I also add some lemon or lime juice. It adds a bit of additional flavor, plus keeps it from getting brown as quickly. I make up a huge salad every week and eat out of it all week. I try to mix it up from week to week so I don't get too tired of it.
  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
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    I just tried roasted butternut squash as a salad topping and it was the BOMB.

    Full salad was spinach with red onion, butternut squash, feta cheese, avocado, and grilled shrimp, with creamy Italian dressing. Delightful!
  • Sunshine_And_Sand
    Sunshine_And_Sand Posts: 1,320 Member
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    Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheddar, Fritos, tossed with French dressing makes a good salad. You'll just not want to let it sit too long though bc u want the Fritos still crunchy when you eat it.
  • xoxoxokiss
    xoxoxokiss Posts: 3 Member
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    My all time favorite salad that I could literally eat every day is an arugula and goat cheese salad! I usually put cucumber, arugula, onion, dried cranberries, a few pumpkin seeds, goat cheese and cherry tomatoes (of course you can customize it and add whatever you want.) Sometimes I’ll add bell peppers too. Then for a topping I use red wine vinegar mixed with Dijon mustard, garlic, dill and pepper. It’s sooooo tasty.
  • HereToLose50
    HereToLose50 Posts: 154 Member
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    I put just about any savory leftovers over greens.

    Fresh produce of a wide variety, various types of beans, strawberries are amazing and sometimes other fruits, always cheese if I have it, almost always have a lettuce mix. Nuts.

    For crunchy toppings I have been using toasted flax seed. I have to have a crunch and they are better than a ton of croutons (big weakness)

    Not big on store bought dressings. I mix my own quick Italian dressing. Sometimes I mix a little plain yogurt with sweet chili sauce and some hot sauce or cayenne, sometimes I add ginger, 5 spice, and garlic to the yogurt mixture. Sometimes I only put hot sauce on when the salad has beans - no different than having a taco salad really.

    I mix it up and never tire if salads.

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