Anybody have any really really good salad recipes?
Reason: Moved to Recipe Forum
I always start with a lettuce base and add whatever I have around the house. Some of my favorite salad items include dried cranerries, low fat feta cheese, light tuna salad/mock tuna salad, almond slivers, black beans, mango salsa, grilled chicken, or veggie burgers (the kind from Costco refrigerated case are my favorite). I don't use dressing because I get enough flavor from the variety of toppings I add.
one of my favourites is a wilted baby spinach salad with warmed goat cheese. i warm a little olive oil and balsamic for dressing (hence the "wilted"). i throw in seeds, nuts, peppers, whatever i have around. sometimes i'll saute mushrooms in the dressing. i heat the goat cheese on a piece of foil either on the grill or under the broiler.
ditto what they said.... I sometimes cook meat with "too much" spice. When you cut it into a salad it's perfect!
I made this today.. not your typical salad! I cut the following veggies into small cubes - jicama, tomatoes, onion, and bell peppers - then added whole black beans, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper and ground cumin for a very fresh summer salad.. served it with tilapia (fish) ... yummy!
Mmm salads - I am the salad queen ;o) I put tons of stuff into my salads and they usually don't have much lettuce because they'd end up too big!
Start with a little lettuce and then chuck in whatever you'd like. I use any of the following:
dates (soooo good in salad and I can't have one without), avocado (for good fat), roasted pine nuts or peanuts (I'm a veggie so need protein and nuts are a good, if somewhat unhealthy, source), peppers (red, yellow, green, orange), apetina (feta), raisins, spring onions, tomato (regular or sundried), bell peppers for some heat, steamed and cooled broccoli, boiled and then cooled peas, sweetcorn, celery, caremelized onions, dried cranberries, cucumber and the list goes on.
I say start experimenting, salads are great and you can have a different one every day for weeks! Try chucking some tuna, prawns, ham or something in and for salad dressings, I use lemon, balsamic and hot sauce. But you could also go for a little chilli oil, balsamic and pesto shaken up.
If you're looking to make something for friends or family, check out the food network website for some more "flash" recipes.
Enjoy!!!
This is one of my favorites:
Dressing: Mix a little low cal/f.f. mayo (whatever works for you!) - say 2 tbsp with white wine vinegar and sugar to taste... I also add horseradish, garlic/onion powder when the mood strikes. You can also use a pre-packaged coleslaw dressing if you prefer, but I like the home-made better.
Add the dressing to: Shredded cabbage, dried cranberries, shredded carrots, shredded chicken breast. Toasted almonds or walnuts are also spectacular in this... you could also add cheese, raisins, sunflower seeds... mmmmm.
Summer is the perfect time for a really good caprese salad.
And here is a really great thread about jazzing up salads.
Obviously I don't know how you feel about all of these ingredients, but this is one of my favorites!
Start with either some well cut lettuce, shredded cabbage, or none at all (I prefer cabbage). Add cucumbers, tomato, red/yellow/orange peppers, beats, and feta cheese. For dressing I just add a little olive oil, a few splashes of lemon juice, and sometimes a splash of red wine vinegar, and a little bit of salt.
Mmmm :) hope you like it!
Look at restaurant menus and get ideas from some of your favorite dishes. Cobb salad, Caesar, etc. are pretty common. Experiment with different ingredients and dressings. Also, these are some of my favorites:
- Grilled/roasted vegetable salad (grill or roast in the oven whatever assortment of veggies you like, such as zucchini, asparagus, onions, peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, etc.) served on a bed of lettuce with a balsamic vinagrette. Seeds and sliced almonds are a nice addition, too.
- Mexican salad - romaine lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, corn, cilantro, peppers, green onions, and for dressing I will mash up avocado and mix with salsa and lime juice and pour over. Top with crushed up whole grain tortilla chips.
- Caribbean salad - use the Mexican salad above but take out black beans, avocado and salsa. Add pico de gallo and chunks of pineapples and mangos or other tropical fruits, and use a teriyaki/lime dressing.
- Asian salad - lettuce, water chesnuts, baby corn, shredded carrot, red cabbage, bean sprouts, pea pods or edamame, and chunks of tofu (optional) topped with a ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar dressing. Throw in some chow mein, toasted sesame seeds or chopped peanuts for a little crunch.
- Thai salad - use the above ingredients for Asian salad but use a little peanut sauce in place of the dressing.
- Wilted salad - For almost any salad, but especially good in the Asian salad, use spinach intead of lettuce and heat the dressing and pour over to make a "wilted" salad. Or heat up V8 juice and pour it over the spinach in place of traditional dressing.
- Greek salad - lettuce, red onions, banana peppers (or pepperoncinis), cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, cucumbers, chickpeas, artichokes, and red/green bell peppers, tossed with a white wine, garlic and oregano vinagrette topped with feta and/or parmesan cheese. Or sometimes in place of the dressing I will pour over a little bit of the juice from the olive jar... Yet another variation on this is to thin out hummus with water/vinegar/lime juice to the consistency of dressing and use that in place of the vinagrette.
- Curry salad - lettuce, strawberries, red onions, and chopped walnuts or pecans with a balsamic vinagrette whisked with curry powder and a little honey or agave nectar. Sweet and spicy!
- Honey mustard salad - lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sliced pears, chopped walnuts or pecans with crumbled blue cheese and a honey mustard dressing. Also good with grilled or fried chicken if you eat meat.
- Beet salad - wrap beets in foil and bake 1-2 hours till tender. Allow them to cool enough to handle then remove the skin and cut into chunks. For the dressing, mix up olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, chopped green onions, and salt/pepper to taste. Mix and pour over the beets, and top with feta cheese. Serve warm.
- Chilean tomato salad - slice up red onions and soak in water or vinegar for about an hour. Slice ripe tomatoes and top with a lot of cilantro, feta cheese, and the soaked onions. Add salt/pepper to taste and a balsamic vinagrette.
- Cucumber salad - You can also make a similar salad to the above Chilean salad using cucumbers instead of or in addition to the tomatoes.
- Tomato/mozzarrella salad - slice ripe tomatoes and place in a serving dish, alternating with slices of fresh mozzarella. Top with about a 1/2 cup of fresh chopped basil and a balsamic vinagrette.
- Avocado salad - scoop out the inside of the avocado and leave the shells. Mix the avocado with cilantro, lime, chopped tomatoes, a little mayo and Worchestershire sauce (and chopped cooked shrimp if you eat seafood) then put the mixture back into the shells and serve.
- Mushroom salad - thinly slice a bunch of mushrooms and serve over a bed of lettuce or baby spinach with a red wine vinagrette.
- Wedge salad - (not the best nutritional value but soooo tasty!) Cut a head of iceberg lettuce into wedges. Drizzle with blue cheese dressing and add chunks of blue cheese and chopped tomatoes. Commonly served with bacon, also, if you eat meat.
- Coleslaw - thinly slice cabbage, red bell peppers and some granny smith apples and combine in a serving bowl. For the dressing, combine sour cream, mayo, hot sauce, and red wine vinegar. Pour over and toss, then add crumbled blue, goat, or feta cheese.
Original Post by pgeorgian:
one of my favourites is a wilted baby spinach salad with warmed goat cheese. i warm a little olive oil and balsamic for dressing (hence the "wilted"). i throw in seeds, nuts, peppers, whatever i have around. sometimes i'll saute mushrooms in the dressing. i heat the goat cheese on a piece of foil either on the grill or under the broiler.
Oh my goodness this sounds delicious!
I think my new favorite is this gem created by a good friend of mine (nevarren on here) - it's sinfully delicious, vegetarian, and so healthy it hurts ;)
This salad gets raves any time I make it. The mix of flavors is exquisite.
Mix of your favorite salad greens
Cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half
Mandarine orange slices (fresh or canned, drained)
Craisins
Freshly toasted pecans
Fresh mozzarella (cubes or ½ of the medium sized balls—pearl is too small)
Dressing:
1 part apple cidar vinegar
1 part pulp-free orange juice
2 parts light olive oil
1 tsp - tbs honey (depending on size of salad and amount of dressing)
Toss salad with dressing and serve immediately.
I just tried this one tonight. It was easy and really filling.
3 cups chopped red cabbage
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 pepper (don't know the name - it looked like a green banana pepper and yielded about 1/4 cup)
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp light dressing (I used WishBone Balsamic & Basil Vinaigrette, low cal and the basil taste just POPPED!)
I divided it into 3 servings - 200 calories each. Great meal with a half a pita.
P.S. - Thanks for posting this. I've gotten so many good ideas from the replies!
For a varation on fuzzy's Tomato/mozzarrella salad, use crumbled feta cheese and a splash of olive oil with sea salt. Light and very nice. Be more generous with the basil, and add a couple chopped garlic cloves.
Every Sunday I take a small head of cabbage and chop it into small pieces and throw it in a HUGE bowl. I add a small head of cauliflower that I have broken into small bite-sized pieces, and half a dozen chopped carrots. If I have it, I'll add some purple cabbage as well. I store this in a gallon Zip-loc bag, and use it throughout the week. I take a couple handfuls out, add whatever I want to it. I almost always add half an apple, chopped and craisins. Other things I add, when I have can be a combination of any of the following: a plum tomato, some cucumber, chopped celery, shelled edemame, garbanzo beans, chicken breast or deli slices, a T of parmesan cheese, a string cheese-shredded..... anything I have that I want. I use the Ken's spray dressings, 15 points for a serving. I can shake it up enough to not get bored from day to day. I see myself eating this for a long time!
Use romain lettuce as a base then add canned corn (drained) and black beans (drained), add a sprinkling of 2% shredded cheese (usually a cheddar, mozzarella, or colby mix). Then put in a portion of salsa, and a dollop of low fat sour cream. On top of that you can put some grilled chicken if you eat meat, but it's good without.
On top of that, take a chipotle sauce (if you can't find just chipotle you can usually find a chipotle dressing) and mix it with low fat ranch dressing. (chipotle dressings are usually full of fat, so I mix it with fat free ranch.)
Delicious!
MY personal favorite, simple but so so good... Baby Spinach with Onions and Chicken sauteed in 1tbsp olive oil and non-stick cooking spray (PAM), with Adobo seasoning, pepper, and garlic, alssoo with three pieces of Jennie-O's Extra Lean Turkey Bacon. Healthy and very filling.. LOVE it.
Ohh yeah, with the Ranch flavored Salad Spritzers. It adds just enough flavor without alot of extra calories or overbearing the taste of the actual salad.
