To think my salads are shit?

[Acunningruse]

Or at the very least, trapped in the 80s?!

We go on holiday in 30 days and I want to lose a ton bit of weight before we go so am planning on salad for lunch every day. Today I have ham, egg, lettuce, tomato cucumber and a bit of mayo. I think it'll be nice, but also like being transported back to my 80s childhood?!

The shops are full of exotic and tempting looking salads but I seem incapable of recreating anything similar at home. I tried one with chickpeas the other day and it was just chickpeas floating round my plate with a bit of onion and tomato.

What are your top homemade salads? Disclaimer I live in a very non exotic small town and do not have access to fancy delis etc.

Thanks!

Fat isn't bad for you, nor does it stop you losing weight or maintaining it.

I struggle with dressings. Are you able to give a recipe for a failsafe one with amounts? Or are you a clever instinctive cook who doesn’t have to measure stuff?!

I love panzanella!

I like putting sliced strawberries in mine. Also feta cheese is good and olives (if you like them. Pitted so no messing with stones). I also put some (small) prawns in. These are all good for slimming. Also avocado as I’m on a low/no carb keto at the moment so fill up on good fats.

Fat is actually important for absorption of some nutrients

@viques stale bread and tomato is a classic! hardly boring

Some of these salads sound exhausting and very expensive to make. By the time you buy rocket, ham, feta and pine nuts (£4 a bag!) I think you'd be better going to M&S and buying three pots for £7 or whatever it is.

I’ve lost 10 kilos since May eating good fats (keto). I have avocados almost every day, butter, Greek yoghurt etc. I avoid anything that says low fat.

I've started roasting broccoli, asparagus, sprouts making sure they are a tiny bit chard in the oven and letting them cool then adding to normal salad items like iceberg lettuce, toms, cucumber, beetroot, red onion and avocado. It gives my salads more of an oomph 🤣 I don't use a dressing usually, just a bit of olive oil and top off with some seeds xx

I’ve just had chickpea /feta and beetroot with siracha dressing.

get one of those choppy machines, makes it all so satisfying.

I added cucumber, red onion, spring onions, roasted chickpeas, peppers, feta, pickled beetroot and romaine. Was lovely.

A good salad is a fair amount of work, that's the thing -- lots of lettuce-washing, chopping, roasting, shredding, dressing-making etc. A good salad is a thing of great beauty, but not without effort.

My current favourite has no lettuce in sight:

Black beans
sweetcorn
red pepper
green pepper
avocado
tomato
cucumber

lime juice

salt and pepper

fish on top

One trick I recently learnt is to take the overpowering taste out of raw onions by marinating them in a bit of homemade dressing.

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/nicoise_salad/

It really works!

I like to have lots of different ingredients in mine and I buy small quantities of a lot of veg for that purpose. The base is often a mix of salad leaves, spring onions, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach. Then, on rotation, I add diced and baked aubergines or sweet potatoes or broccoli. And/or chickpeas, sweetcorn, olives, kimchi, nuts, seeds. For protein boiled eggs, cubed mozzarella, feta, goat cheese or chicken (I marinate and bake chicken breast, or use left overs from a roast).
I tend to dress it with extra virgin olive oil, lemon/lime, chopped fresh herbs.

Is that not a sandwich 🤣 sounds gross.

I find having a mix of textures helps.

Creamy avocado, crunchy cucumber, I put in roasted chickpeas and chopped green apple, shredded carrot, beetroot, some people add thinly sliced mango, which sounds delish.

I make my own dressing too, which is pretty basic but tastes fresh. Apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey, mustard and olive oil.

No, it’s a classic Italian artisan salad and delicious! Almost as good as my “boring” carrot and vinaigrette salad……..

google panzanella.

The salad course section in this book is great. Roasted beetroot with cinnamon dressing; orange, Romaine lettuce and orange & cinnamon dressing; finely chopped salad with capers and grated carrot salad to name a few.

An easy salad is chopped cucumber, tomatoes, celery, cooked green beans, sweetcorn, some mixed bean salad from a tin, homemade mustard vinegarette, chopped corned beef and/or cheddar. Eat from a bowl with a spoon.

As a PP mentioned is merging together ingredients, using a good dressing and seasoning.

I also find it easier to stick to “salad for lunch” if I can chop it all up and use it over the course of a few days which is why I never go for stuff that wilts.
So many of those recipes sound delicious but are far too much faff to stick to every day.

I add mixed beans, new potatoes ( cold), spring onion, tomato, and a cold pasta sauce.

The pasta sauce replaces mayo and I had 3 dessert spoons. I also never add salad dressings because of the oil.

It would be nice with cold chocken or prawns and is delicious with tuna.

Its a pretty versatile and healthy recipe.

This is one I make a lot. It takes a bit of time to prepare, but then stays good in the fridge for several days. You can use different types of vegetables, beans, cheese, herbs etc. depending on your preferences.

300g pasta/quinoa, dry
75g olive oil
30g cider/red wine vinegar
3 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp salt

1 (400g) can chickpeas, drained
300g radishes, sliced
300g mange tout, halved
300g mozzarella, cubed
150g sundried tomatoes, sliced
120g olives, sliced
bunch spring onions, sliced
handful parsley, chopped

Cook the pasta/quinoa and tip into a large bowl. Stir in olive oil through salt (you don’t have to whisk the dressing together separately). Then add the rest of the ingredients and toss. It makes 5-6 servings.

Beetroot, mild goats cheese, walnuts (or other nuts), fresh spinach or rocket. Fresh thyme if you have it. Olive oil and balsamic dressing

Chickpeas, feta, bit of red onion plus chopped veg (a selection from red pepper, cucumber, radish, celery, tomato). The exact veg doesn’t matter but you need something sweet like red pepper/tomato, and something crunchy. Avocado is a good addition but it means the salad doesn’t last well. Lemon juice and olive oil dressing. Lots of parsley ideally.

Chicory, walnuts and blue cheese - dressing of olive oil, wine or cider vinegar, bit of mustard and honey

Watermelon, feta, mint and lemon zest - dressing of olive oil and lemon juice

Chopped apple, grapes, walnuts, celery (Waldorf salad) and optional cold cooked chicken - dressing of half mayo half yoghurt and dab of mustard.

Courgette cut into ribbons with a peeler plus thinly sliced radishes, dressed with a vinaigrette and left to marinate a little. Sunflower seeds or other seeds/nuts for added crunch. Double podded broad beans are a good addition if you can be bothered (I can’t)

Romaine or little gem, fried lardons or cured ham/salami, avocado, maybe some fried up cold potatoes if you have some, maybe some semi hard cheese like a Comte/Jarlsberg ,or a hard boiled egg - mountain salad.

Tomato, avocado, mozzarella, basil, oil and balsamic dressing

Tomato salad - chopped cherry tomatoes with a little crushed garlic or red onion plus oil and vinegar - with bread to mop up the juices

I am on the lookout for a good Asian slaw recipe and some good lentil or bean salads, will trawl the thread now! I like the look of the one with black beans & sweetcorn just above.

Re the salads taking time to make - yes they do. But many of them especially the non leaf based ones can be made in batches so you have several days’ worth.

@NewDayNewDiary I am a bit of a "throw it together" kind of person, I admit - drives my sister crazy. She's a great cook, but I think But I think if you start with about half/half acid (lemon juice, vinegar) and olive oil and mix that together then you can adjust to taste a bit. Then for the mustard you just add a little - like maybe half a teaspoon, pinch of salt, few mixed herbs for example. If you feel it's a bit too sharp, add a drizzle of honey.

Sorry, I know that's probably not super helpful.

This is a great thread! My tuppence-worth is this:

I only love a salad if there's a 'warm' element so I'll add warm chicken/falafels/ prawns/baby potatoes/couscous etc. I just find it more appetising. I also prefer the ingredients to be chopped up small and preferably so everything is uniform in size. I love different textures in the same dish. And finally, it needs to be served in a wide flat bowl, like a pasta bowl. Much easier to eat than on a plate!

Placemarking shamelessly....

Two suggestions: nam prik sauce is a good dressing for salads that include meat or fish (Used with blanched cauliflower florets, sliced radishes, cucumber batons, coriander and mint leaves, maybe bean sprouts if very fresh). Fresh lime juice, fish sauce, finely chopped chilli and enough sugar to round out the flavors (or sriracha to replace the chili and sugar). This is also good beaten with good quality unsweetened peanut butter plus a bit of soy sauce as a dip for satays.

I like fennel, shaved thin and left lightly salted for an hour, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. Orange, watercress, black salted olives and artichoke hearts add to the deliciousness.