I hate salad but I need to eat it...

[Michelle My Bell]

I exercise (running) and eat fairly low calorie (about 1500 daily) but I don't get a lot of veggies in my diet (never liked them) and I feel like I am low on energy and fiber. I am looking to lose about 15 lbs and I think adding in a daily salad would be a good solution. I would even count it as a meal if it had a protein in it like chicken. (no fish for me!)

 

 

So I need some good recipes for salad and dressings. I generally like fatty dressings like Ranch or super sweet ones which are not healthy and do not fit within my goals. I once had a homemade dressing that was vinegar and oil based that was really good so I think homemade is the way to go for me.

 

 

1. So I need some tips to make salads extra good (cutting techniques, etc...)
   
2. Recipes for good salad combinations.
   
3. Recipes for salad dressings.
   
4. Oh, and it has to be healthy, low calorie. No more than 350 if it is going to be my full lunch.
   

 

 

Any suggestions?

[HollyDay]

I don't like salad either but also "have" to eat it. I particularly don't like just a lettuce or green salad. My salads start with a "base" of various lettuce types and/or spinach with some shredded carrots, celery, and peppers (preferably red or orange). I like to add things to give it some diversity in flavor and additional nutrition (no empty calories in other words). But, each addition is going to add to your calorie load. I generally do not use dressings , but if I do, it is usually olive oil and some sort of vinegar (balsamic, rhaspberry) with spices (tarragon, rosemary, basil, etc).

Add ins I particularly like:

ground flax seeds

sesame seeds

pumpkin seeds

various cheeses (feta, gouda, etc)

dried fruit (cranberry, blueberry)

endamame

kidney beans

raw corn

olives

hard boiled eggs

[besroma]

Our family salad dressing contains olive oil, red wine vinegar, Nature's Seasoning, and Mrs. Dash.

 

Steps:

 

1. Pour small amount of olive oil on salad and toss to lightly coat.

2. Add red wine vinegar the same way.

3. Add Nature's Seasoning and toss.

4. If desired, just a dash of Mrs. Dash.

 

Taste and adust seasonings to taste (particularly the cucumbers as these absorb the red wine vinegar and you don't want to keep adding, taste the lettuce, then realize too late you added too much).

 

We like to add the following to vary our salads:

 

sliced almonds and Craisins

pecans and strawberries

bell peppers (different colors)

carrots sliced diagonally

 

BJs and Costco sell some flavored sliced almonds that you might like. :)

[happyWImom]

I'm not big on veggies either, but I have been putting spinach in all of my smoothies. Frozen berries, banana, and spinach, with a little soy milk or almond milk. You don't taste it.

 

I know it's not a salad recipe, but it's something else to try.:001_smile:

[Amira]

I eat lots of vegetables, but never in typical American lettuce-based salads, and as I've traveled around, my definition of "salad" has expanded. Sometimes I'll quickly stir-fry some chopped tomatoes, chiles, and garlic in a bit of sesame oil, then add something green like green onions or garlic chives. I love this carrot salad, and this tomato-eggplant salad. I make cabbage salads all the time with either sliced lightly stir-fried or raw cabbage with garlic and chiles. You can season it with black or rice vinegar and sesame oil. Bean sprouts also make really good salads, either raw or stir-fried. I've also eaten some really interesting salads with tofu sticks and rice noodles.

 

The easiest salad for me is to chop up a few tomatoes and cucumbers, then mix in a bit of sliced onion and some salt and red pepper. If you have time, let it sit for about an hour before serving.

 

Or you can make lots of different types of salads with a variety of chopped vegetables, and then stir in some yogurt.

[bnrmom]

I'm not big on veggies either, but I have been putting spinach in all of my smoothies. Frozen berries, banana, and spinach, with a little soy milk or almond milk. You don't taste it.

 

I know it's not a salad recipe, but it's something else to try.:001_smile:

 

This is what I was going to suggest. I just finished drinking my carrot/kale/apple smoothie. My favorite green smoothie is the Dr. Oz Green Smoothie - you can Google the recipe (although I halve it). I love it!

 

I add a handful of spinach or kale to any fruit smoothie I make.

 

As far as salads go, homemade dressing really is best. I rarely find a bottled dressing I like. One of my favorite homemade recipes is a mixture of light miso paste, honey, garlic, a bit of soy sauce, a bit of toasted sesame oil, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Shaken or blended, it's delicious!

 

Eating Well has a recipe for Parmesan Vinaigrette that is fantastic - you can find on their site.

 

But don't forget about cooked veggies as well - I think they are easier for your body to digest. I love roasted veggies. And soups as well - roast or steam some veggies, puree with chicken stock, and play with flavorings.

 

Or things like coleslaw - I love the creamy junky ones, but I also really like one I made with green cabbage, chunked avocado, lime juice, olive oil and garlic salt. My younger son loves just green cabbage with lemon juice, a bit of honey and olive oil.

[*********]

I pack my dh's lunch for work every day, so I'm always looking for new ideas. He mentioned that if I pack him a salad, he'd like it if I chopped everything smaller. So, for three of his lunches this past week, he had a 'chopped salad'. Which is just a salad with everything chopped up small. :D This is what I put on it, after surfing around and looking at lots of recipes.

 

The base was a mix of romaine, iceberg, and spinach. Remember, everything is chopped small, so that you can mix it all together good.

 

Then I added chopped:

yellow bell pepper

green and yellow zucchini squash

cucumber

tomato

carrot

 

I also added canned (rinsed) garbanzo beans/chick peas.

 

I served this with blue cheese dressing. Which I realize sounds weird, but dh has gerd and can only eat certain kinds of dressings. Plus, I wanted him to stay full, and the fat from the dressing would help with that. The chick peas add some protien, but if I were eating the salad, I'd sub grilled chicken for the beans. 'Cause I like chicken better, and it has more protein. :D Dh is particular about his meat, so the beans were a better way to go for him.

 

So basically, my point is that chopping things all up small can be a good way to mix things up. And really, you can use whatever greens/lettuces you like as the base, then add whatever else you like.

 

And for dressing, I'd think a light vinagrette would be good. Homemade or storebought.

 

Just some rambling thoughts. :D

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

My favorite salad dressing is simply drizzling some flax oil and raw apple cider vinegar. It's tasty, tangy and slighty sweet from the apple cider vinegar. Flax oil kind of expensive, but very good for you. It has to be kept cold. It has about 120 calories per tablespoon.

 

I absolutely adore salads and raw veggies of any kind, but I'd suggest thinking about salads a little differently than the standard green salad.

 

Here are some really good salad ideas that are a little different

 

 

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Veggie-Nicoise-Salad?keycode=ZFB04

 

http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2008/11/roasted-asparagus-and-cherry-tomatoes.html

 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Jicama-and-Pineapple-Salad-in-a-Cilantro-Vinaigrette/Detail.aspx

 

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2011/01/quinoa-salad-with-roasted-beets-chick.html

 

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/japanese_cucumber_salad.html

 

http://www.onceuponachef.com/2011/03/asian-slaw-with-ginger-peanut-dressing.html

 

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1750,154170-234205,00.html

[KungFuPanda]

Make soup :D

[*********]

I exercise (running) and eat fairly low calorie (about 1500 daily) but I don't get a lot of veggies in my diet (never liked them) and I feel like I am low on energy and fiber. I am looking to lose about 15 lbs and I think adding in a daily salad would be a good solution. I would even count it as a meal if it had a protein in it like chicken. (no fish for me!)

 

 

So I need some good recipes for salad and dressings. I generally like fatty dressings like Ranch or super sweet ones which are not healthy and do not fit within my goals. I once had a homemade dressing that was vinegar and oil based that was really good so I think homemade is the way to go for me.

 

 

1. So I need some tips to make salads extra good (cutting techniques, etc...)

2. Recipes for good salad combinations.

3. Recipes for salad dressings.

4. Oh, and it has to be healthy, low calorie. No more than 350 if it is going to be my full lunch.

Any suggestions?

 

One idea on the ranch.

 

You could make homemade ranch using the ranch seasoning packets, and then use fat free whatever to mix it with. That might work?

 

I know I've made fat free ranch DIP by mixing fat free sour cream with a packet of ranch seasoning, so that I could still dip my veggies in 'ranch' but not feel so bad about it. And it worked well.

 

ETA: I just looked in my cupboard at the ranch dressing mix packet I have. It says to mix it with one cup milk and one cup mayo. I'd think that mixing it with one cup skim milk and one cup fat free or reduced fat sour cream would work.

Edited April 22, 2012 by bethanyniez

[Truscifi]

A salad doesn't have to have salad greens, so if you are more okay with other veggies, you could just use them. One of my favorites is a cucumber and tomato salad with a bit of fresh basil and chives. Add some fresh mozz and ham for a complete meal.

 

Also, I like mixing ranch powder (like the Hidden Valley kind you make the dressing with) into cottage cheese and eating it with sliced cucumbers or sweet peppers. It still feels like a ranch dip, but is much healthier and a good source of lean protein.

[Slipper]

My husband makes a huge salad with spinach, cucumber, jalapenos, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, pecans or almonds, etc. He puts oil and vinegar on it. Then he chops it up until it can literally be eaten with a spoon it's so small. I'm trying to eat more salads as well and I've found that it's so condensed, I can get a lot of 'healthy stuff' in me with just a few bites. He saves me half a cup of it when he makes his salads in the mornings. (I'm hoping to increase it, but I'm really not keen on lots of greenery - especially cold green things. I love warm spinach salads).

[happypamama]

We do a lot of salads; we lean mostly toward the paleo/primal side of things. Lots of homemade Caesar salad (minus the croutons); I like it with a lot of fresh garlic, and that packs a punch of flavor. Add chicken or shrimp or chickpeas if you need some protein.

 

DH prefers balsamic vinaigrette: 1 part balsamic vinegar, 2 parts extra virgin olive oil, chopped fresh garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

 

Greek salad with balsamic vinaigrette is delicious and can make a full light meal -- greens, dressing, feta, cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, black olives, pepperoncini.

 

I myself like bleu cheese dressing; I use a mix of sour cream and mayo, plus some minced onion if I have it, and a splash of milk, plus a chunk of bleu cheese.

 

I love throwing chickpeas in salad. Hard-boiled eggs go well, and I like beets too.

 

On pinterest I found a recipe that uses greens, bleu cheese, chopped pears, nuts, and a maple vinaigrette; it's delicious and not *too* sugary! But I also often just throw the bleu cheese, greens, and nuts together with a balsamic vinaigrette and call it good.

[justLisa]

If you can splurge and buy a cookbook, get one of the Moosewood ones. They have all sorts of inspiring veggie dishes, as they are vegetarian books. And all of them are lighter fare.