Yummy salad ideas

[Sparklyring]

I've never liked salads but heading back to work this week and we arent allowed to use the microwave. Sandwiches get a bit monotonous so was thinking I'd give salad a go, but I hate tomato and cucumber.

Would love some different ideas. TIA.

I suggest google some raw food recipes as lots are basically salads. I have an old book, by Kate Magic, sorry can't remember the title.

For me the key is 3 different salads together for lunch. For example, grated carrot with seeds, or coleslaw (grated carrot, cabbage, onion, mayo); shredded spinach, watercress, and fennel; lettuce and herbs; grated courgette and leaves or raisins; thin sliced sugar snap peas and leaves; peppers and chickpeas; radishes. Dressings of oil, vinegar, and mustard or herbs.

Marinaded raw mushrooms are good, slice and put in tamari/soy sauce with maybe lemon or vinegar.

The only thing I miss about going to the office is the local health food salad bar

Potato salad
Falafel
Chicken and bacon
Sweet potato and Feta
Ham and pineapple
Pasta salad

Oh and you can add whatever substantial thing you like e.g. cheese cubes, cold meats if you don't want to be veggie, tofu but the smoked or basil or whatever ones, nuts, olives, hummus, leftover dinner, cold cooked potatoes.

I don't think you can beat Greek salad. I don't like cucumber so leave it out, I also don't like wet tomatoes so I get all the seeds / pulp out and salt them for 10 minutes.

This one is also a favourite at the minute:

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chopped_salad_41277

I think the most important thing about a salad, particualry a leafy salad, is that you chop everything to the same size so you can eat it without dropping it everywhere and get a bit of everything in one mouthful.

Chicken Caesar salad and Salade Niçois are two that each make a substantial filling lunch.

You would have to leave the tomatoes out of the salad Niçois though.

Pear, walnut, black grapes, cheese & leaves is versatile.

Cous-cous salad is another that you can vary depending what is available & what you like. I usually add grapes or sultanas or apricots amongst savoury items.

Waldorf salad has plenty of interest, but no tomatoes or cucumber, I like it with smoked mackerel fillets, or chicken.

There’s a similar thread in the food section at the moment and some really nice ideas on this. We’ve picked a few for lunches this week:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/food_and_recipes/3924000-looking-for-nice-salad-recipes

Ottolenghi

Beetroot and feta with seeds
Pear, spinach, coriander and seeds
Cold rice noodles with shredded veg and sesame oil, soy, lime and chilli dressing

Keep a box of cous cous in your drawer. Add some to a mug and top with hot water. Add it to any of the salads above.

Cous cous, I add lots of chopped parsley, cucumber, lemon juice, grilled cherry tomatoes, toasted almonds and sliced onions that have been slowly fried until golden, it's an Ottolenghi recipe.

I do a lovely salad I first had in Spain. Take the leaves off watercress (save the stalks for soup) add walnut halves and feta cheese then dress with balsamic vinegar.

Forgot the golden sultanas in the cous cous. Essential!

I made a new salad the other week, grated carrot with a mayo and pesto dressing. Had a scrape of pesto left so stirred it into the Mayo, it was lovely.

Bulgur wheat or couscous:
Roast some sweet potato or butternut (with a little cinnamon is quite nice), fry off some sliced onions, sliced spring onions, mix all together. Add feta if you like, chopped toasted nuts, almost anything. Olive oil, salt. Any soft herbs you've got to hand.

Green beans:
Blanch, refresh. Toss in Olive oil, tiny squeeze of lemon juice, tiny bit of garlic, grated Parmesan.

Chickpeas:
Cook from dried or drain a tin. Add roasted red peppers, goats cheese, soft herbs, sun dried tomatoes.

Ottolenghi books great for this sort of thing, as is the Morito cook book.

We have salads for lunch most days. I usually put in:

Cucumber
Carrot
Lettuce
Tomato
Pepper
Radish
Spring onion
Pickled beetroot
Gherkins
Pickled onions
Feta/Halloumi and a but of cheddar for DH
Seeds/nuts
Boiled egg
Some sort of meat; ham, chicken, sausage, bacon etc
Carbs: rice, pasta, cous cous, small baguette
Occasionally we might add coleslaw, sweetcorn

My salad making didn't go well today as when we were eating DH realised i hadn't put any meat in. Also my boiled eggs were properly cooked but as i was trying to take the shell off, the egg stated to come apart! Cue me trying not to cry over it! Pregnancy hormones 😂
Have a look online as well, bbc good food might have some ideas