Favorite Salad ideas? they can't all be lettuce based right?

I love a salad but there must be so many different ways to do one before they get boring, what's your favorite? Mine is a huge bowl of salad with fresh pineapple and Musselspnu8pnqbzh40.jpg

Replies

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Potatoes (dice, boiled, and cooled), red onions, sumac, and olive oil. Simple and filling.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,127 Member
    Some of my favourites at the moment are:

    Raw Broccoli with Blue Cheese, Pancetta and red onion in a little light mayo and some vinegar.

    Tuna with finely chopped cucumber, capers and onion with chilli and light mayo and some mozzarella, mixed with leaves, tomato, etc.

    Chicken marinated in a little peanut butter, oil & thai spice with broccoli, noodles, spinach

    Edamame Beans, Seeds, Chickpeas & Spinach

    Chicken Breast stuffed with light philadelphia, herb and wrapped in parma ham served with leaves, tomato, cucumbers.

  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
    I love bean salads!

    White beans, red onion, parsley, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper

    Black beans, corn, red onion, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    We love any kind of vegetable salads. We have also noticed, that constantly changing salad dressings makes a big difference. We always mix our own and use lots of different herbs which we grow ourselves.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,934 Member
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,934 Member
    Some of my favourite salads are from SE Asia. The dressings contain little to no oil, but are usually sweetened.

    Some favourites listed below.

    For the pomelo salad, skip the frying of the shallots and just buy ready made fried shallot or onion. The ones people use on Thanksgiving green bean casserole in the US.

    For the green mango salad, I substitute grated or spiralized carrot mixed with juliened granny smith apple. After chopping the apple sprinkle some of the lime or lemon straight away to prevent it from turning brown.

    https://danangcuisine.com/recipes/recipe-grilled-eggplant-ca-tim-nuong-mo-hanh/
    https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pomelo-salad-with-chile-lime-peanuts-and-coconut
    https://www.thespruceeats.com/thai-green-mango-salad-recipe-3217675
  • MaryLeuelu
    MaryLeuelu Posts: 99 Member
    • Brown rice with apples and raisins
    • 3⁄4 cup long grain brown basmati rice
    • 1⁄4 cup sliced almonds or 1⁄4 cup peanuts
    • 2 teaspoons curry powder
    • 1 medium granny smith apple, cored, peeled and chopped
    • 1⁄2 cup raisins
    • 1⁄4 cup green onion, sliced
    Directions
    1. Cook the basmati rice until tender and liquid absorbed. (If using leftover rice, heat thoroughly.) Do not add any oil or salt to the rice. Keep warm.
    2. In a saucepan over medium heat, toast the almonds until light golden brown, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
    3. Next add the curry powder, cooking for about 1-2 minutes or until curry powder is fragrant, again being careful not to burn.
    4. Add the Granny Smith apple, raisins and green onion. Stir gently and heat through.
    5. Season with salt to taste.
    6. I use this with left over rice and freeze it in cup lots until needed great for
  • SchrodingersOtherCat
    SchrodingersOtherCat Posts: 23 Member
    My lunch for work consists of raw spinach, celery, baby plum tomatoes, cucumber, sweet peppers, balsamic vinegar & whatever protein I have in the fridge such as chicken, prawns, cheese etc.
  • whoami67
    whoami67 Posts: 297 Member
    edited April 2019
    Lately, I've been eating a warm salad each day for lunch. I roast a whole bunch of vegetables (peppers, onions, sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower) and serve them on a bowl of greens (often TJ's Power to the Greens, sometimes just mixed lettuce or baby spinach). Add some diced cucumber, green onions, homemade hummus and guacamole or avocado. Top with a little scoop of quinoa and beans - lentils, black beans, garbanzo beans or kidney beans are good.

    I've been roasting the veg and cooking beans/quinoa about once a week and keeping in the fridge. I slice the scallions and cukes a few days at a time. It just takes me a couple minutes to throw together lunch each day from the already prepared ingredients. I usually heat up the vegetables and grains, but they're good cold, too, if I don't have time to heat or access to an oven.
  • Galena98
    Galena98 Posts: 3 Member
    I recently found this turkey taco pasta salad and it's so good! I used ground chicken instead and it was amazing!

    https://drizzlemeskinny.com/turkey-taco-pasta-salad/
  • xlilphishx
    xlilphishx Posts: 23 Member
    Bean salads with veggies and a touch of crumbled cheese. Always my go to. Skinnytaste has a bunch that I love.
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
    I prefer chopped veg salads to leafy salads. This is my current fave (minus the onions). Plus it's a meal prep, so I have four prepared for the week.

    https://www.skinnytaste.com/greek-chickpea-salad/
  • AmberVazq
    AmberVazq Posts: 15 Member
    edited May 2019
    Dressingless salad
    1.heat spinach leaves in a skillet add to bowl with optional any meats even vegan.
    2.bowl needs spinach leaves or any type you like even kale,mixed greens,any even lettuce or all
    3.diced tiny add tomatoes,cucumbers, optional any other veggies/fruit you want from bean sprouts to sweet apples
    4.optional cheeses,nuts,anything you love in salads even tortilla chips ,cottage cheese use low fat if you have to have it like my Mother did swear she put it on everything on earth she touched.Even bacon, turkey bacon,bacon bits,onions fried or plain,celery,etc. add calories up while choosing what to add can be eaten with only the main ingredients.

    Should be moist enough you don’t need dressing at all. If you feel you still need dressings use very little tsp coat it’s the ingredient that goes to my hips! I add sweet Apple so I don’t crave the sweetness of dressings diced so tiny they melt in your mouth with the fried spinach,cucumbers ,y tomatoes. My favorite is chicken on it or similar chicken substitutes.
    It’s a versatile recipe I make so many variations of it with only needing a few main ingredients tons of optional ones that we never get bored of it. Especially since it goes with any green leaves you want.
    Kale add the sweet able since kale is naturally slightly bitter to avoid needing dressing.
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    Currently just trying to slowly incorporate greens back into the mix; not high volume per se, just high density in terms of nutrients. Currently going with baby spinach + baby kale + guacamole + dijon mustard (sure throw in some lemon juice too). I am pretty limited in that I no longer include oils in my diet (usually more troublesome than helpful & lead to skyrocketing fat consumption, more a personal thing I choose to avoid)
  • kerrihurman515
    kerrihurman515 Posts: 7 Member
    edited May 2019
    I've been eating this Spanish chorizo and chickpea salad lately which is so yum and filling for the day. When I heat it up at the office my coworkers always come running for a taste. Because sharing kai (food) is such a cultural thing here in New Zealand I've learned to make some extra! Lol
    200g Spanish chorizo, tin of chickpeas, 6 big mushrooms chopped roughly, tbsp smoked Paprika and a tbsp cumin. I dry fry the chorizo (chorizo will release some oil itself) and then throw in the mushrooms. When they start releasing some moisture throw in the spices and stir. Then toss in the chickpeas and stir to coat them. You can drizzle a bit of olive oil over if you like. Heat through and serve. Makes two servings of about 400 calories. I usually double the batch and then portion out so that I have lunches for the week. It gets even better the second or third day.
  • kerrihurman515
    kerrihurman515 Posts: 7 Member
    The other salad I go for is a tomato and avocado salad. Dice both into a bowl and add lots of pepper and some salt.(the salt draws out the liquid from the tomatoes so it's needed) Add a sprinkle of shredded parmesan. You can eat this alone and it's good or top a bed of spinach and thinly sliced mushrooms. You should not need a dressing as the juice from the tomatoes, pepper and tang from the parmesan makes a nice dressing on its own
  • sevenspanishangels38
    sevenspanishangels38 Posts: 7 Member
    Love this 👌
  • fitom80
    fitom80 Posts: 154 Member
    shvynxkx3mce.jpg
    Mixed salad leafs, radish, pumpkin seeds, cottage cheese, cooked beef(or halloumi, chicken breast..) , french dressing
  • vegan4lyfe2012
    vegan4lyfe2012 Posts: 1,235 Member
    I'm with @gallicinvasion as I adore bean salads, too! I have 2 favorites:

    THREE BEAN SALAD

    1.5 cups cooked kidney beans (or 1 can, drained)
    1.5 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can, drained)
    2 cups cooked green beans (or 1 can, drained)
    1/2 white onion, finely diced
    1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced

    Dressing:

    2 T olive oil
    2 T apple cider vinegar
    parsley, salt & pepper to taste

    Mix dressing, stir in beans, onion and bell pepper and let marinate for at least 2 hours.

    *****

    COWBOY CAVIAR

    Into a large mixing bowl:

    2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can drained)
    1 can white sweet corn, drained
    2 roma tomatoes, diced
    2 avocados, diced
    1 bunch green onions, tops only, chopped

    Vinaigrette:

    ¼ cup Avocado Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
    1 tsp garlic powder
    1 tsp salt
    1 tsp pepper

    Whisk vinaigrette together, pour over veggies and stir to combine.
  • CMKelly65
    CMKelly65 Posts: 4 Member
    My husband has been eating spinach salad with strawberries, mandarin oranges (he peels fresh ones rather than the syrupy kind from the store) and goat cheese. The strawberries and oranges pair so well with the spinach that he doesn't need dressing (I like adding nuts as well). He eats that with hummus on tomato slices, a hard boiled egg, or some other type of protein for lunch every. single. day!
  • jwoolman5
    jwoolman5 Posts: 191 Member
    I like shredded cabbage or broccoli slaw. I eat a lot before I add any dressing... But just some simple egg-free mayo or gloppy tahini can do it for me.

    Also if not in the mood for lettuce, just cut up other veggies and enjoy by themselves, such as English cucumbers, radishes, sweet bell peppers (or green if you like), celery, mushrooms, etc.
  • stephaniek511
    stephaniek511 Posts: 86 Member
    We love any kind of vegetable salads. We have also noticed, that constantly changing salad dressings makes a big difference. We always mix our own and use lots of different herbs which we grow ourselves.

    This is a big key for me as well - it's the dressing that keeps it exciting. I'm slowly learning to do my own so I can switch it up more often than I can with an entire bottle of dressing.

    I've also adopted throwing on grains, beans, and roasted veggies as others have suggested. Makes me feel like I'm having a "real" meal instead of just greens.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    I stopped using lettuce in my salads and have been substituting shredded cabbage.
  • J_NY_Z
    J_NY_Z Posts: 2,540 Member
    I made this a few months ago for the first time and it has become one of my favorites:

    https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/the-complete-mediterranean-cookbook/egyptian-barley-salad