Boring salads! :(

Wurly

My OH loves a salad but he likes the boring ones of lettuce, tomato, onion etc etc. I personally am not a fan of cold food. Salad to me seems like a huge chore to eat.

However, I do like how light you feel after eating one and I know they're really good for you. So I need your help.

Can anyone please give me some suggestions on how to spice up a boring salad? Just to note, I am a vegetarian but if you give me a meat recipe, I can always substitute the meat for quorn.

Maybe an idea for warmed salads as well? I dont mind food going cold but I do mind it being cold to begin with. If that makes ANY sense! :pac: But maybe there is a lovely recipe for a cold salad that will make me want to eat it regardless of temperature?

I'm looking for low fat salad recipes. I don't see the point in a fattening salad. Frankly id prefer to have mash!! :pac:

Any help would be hugely appreciated. I am a bit dense when it comes to salads. No imagination at all!!! Thanks.:p

Chattastrophe!

OK the traditional salad ingredients (starting with lettuce!) don't always work out too well when they're warmed.

Stop thinking of it as salad - start thinking of it as fooooood!

You want warm salad? You don't want salad - you want veg!

Try courgette chips. Bake some courgette (with some onion and spinach and peppers thrown in for good measure) in plenty of seasoning, along with a bit of oil or butter. There you have it, a really good warming homemade meal in next to no time! I'm told sweet potatos work well too; however I'm not a fan myself.

Or just fry up a ton of fresh spinach, mushroom, onion and garlic with plenty of cajun spice. There you have it - the perfect base for a Quorn salad, with plenty of flavour!

quaalude

Hi Wurly - I've cut down drastically on bread recently, so I'm having a salad for lunch each day. Here's a nice courgette, and haloumi one I've put together. According to MyFitnessPal, it's 347 calories. It is very filling, and holds me from midday to dinnertime.

I make it the night before. You can eat it cold, or warm it in the microwave.
Warming it is nice, as the haloumi goes deliciously squashy. I don't think it needs seasoning or dressing as the courgette releases juices, and the haloumi is so salty. But you might like to add lemon or whatever.

Ingredients:
Half a can of Batchelors mixed beans: http://www.batchelors.ie/vegetables/mixed-beans.asp - I've also used chickpeas and it's grand
10 slices of courgette - browned in a frying pan
2 slices of haloumi - browned in a frying pan, then cut into cubes
A tablespoon of frozen corn

I just combine these in tupperware.
At time of eating (after warming) I usually add a handful of rocket or spinach and mix it around.

If you try it and like it, let me know! I've loads more easy vegetarian salads I've been concocting these past months.

Mr. CooL ICE

Whenever I make a salad with lettuce and whatever leftover veg I have, I usually add a mixture of hummus and balsamic vinegar. Makes it pretty messy but as I'm not a massive salad fan, it does spice it enough to make it enjoyable for me

wolfpawnat

I tend to put in a bit of fruit or nuts. Apple, cashews, peach, walnuts. Also little things like sundried tomatoes as opposed to regular ones. Oooh, and cheese, goats, feta, cheddar, it's all good

My partner buys all the men's fitness magazines so there is always a load of delicious recipes, that are very healthy.

tfak85

Braised chicory or baby gem lettuce is a lovely way of "mixing it up" in the salad stakes (pun intended)!

Made a nice one recently with braised chicory, cucumber and avocado (always amazing), dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and salt'n'pepper.

Pomegranate seeds, peanuts, grated carrot, sultanas, all great in salads. Buy a tub of mixed seeds, pop into a dry frying pan, heat up and throw over your salad right before serving!

tdh

Hi Wurly,
I am looking forward to trying this recipe whenever i can get some persimmons but I think they are out of season a few months ago:(
http://foodwishes.blogspot.ie/2013/02/raw-kale-salad-mmmmtough-and-bitter.html

my mom also makes finely cut celery, apple, rasins, walnuts and salad cream (or mayonaisse) and mixes it together and its really good.

Overflow

I make a very tasty one:

Red onion(diced), cherry tomatoes(quartered), avocado, feta cheese, fresh basil, balsamic vineger, olive oil and/or crispy bacon and garlic fried chicken breast.

kylith

Had a lovely one in a restaurant yesterday; lamb's lettuce, roasted beetroot, orange, and toasted almond slivers. It was fantastic.

I usually have a salad for lunch consisting of little gem, brocco shoots, baby corn, cherry tomatoes, feta, chicken, and a balsamic dressing. Maybe some toasted pine nuts the odd time.

Shenshen

I'd eat salads nearly every day for lunch, I've never had a boring one yet.

If you're not too big into the lettuce part of it, how about making a warm lentil salad with feta cheese?

Just boil the lentils, drain them, throw them in a bowl with halved cherry tomatoes, chopped spring onion and chopped parsley (lots, if you can), sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dress with either lemon juice or balsamic and olive oil.

Another favourite of mine from back home in Germany is a pasta salad :

Take some leftover cold pasta (Spirelli, Penne or Farfalle work best), ad a tin of sweetcorn, some peas, spring onions, some diced cheese if you feel like it, diced cucumber and grated carrots. Now, the dressing is key here : Take about 2 table spoons of herb cream cheese (Boursin is perfect for this) and in a small bowl add to it .5-1 tsp of sugar, same amount of salt, white wine vinegar and a little water.
Stir it up and make sure to taste it - it should be creamy-sweetish but fresh tasting, then mix into the pasta salad.
Last but not least cut a hardboiled egg in 4 and place on top.

PinkLemonade

I love thai salads. I add cooked rice noodles to mixed salad veggies, tomatoes, grated carrot, spring onion, rocket, fresh herbs (mint/basil/coriander), then I add prawns or chicken or minced pork cooked in fish sauce with chilli and garlic and add dressing of fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and chilli. Sometimes I add toasted chopped cashew nuts or peanuts or sesame seeds and sesame oil. The meat is usually warm as are the noodles. Change up the veggies if you want too

livinsane

Pineapple and grapefruit really take the lettuce/tomato/cucumber combo up a notch. With a bit of cocktail sauce on the side. For non vegetarians, add king prawns. The result is a very fresh and light salad.

For heavier salads, I would roast peppers and tomatoes.

I personally think all cheeses, bar mozzarella, ruins a salad.

Experiment with lettuces/leaves too. Lambs lettuce, rocket, spinach and beet leaves are a lot tastier that iceberg lettuce.