To ask what you have in your massive salad

[Carinattheliqorstore1]

I’m trying to lose weight. I need to reduce sugar and carbs and increase fibre and protein. I don’t eat meat/poultry and have an egg allergy.

To make this easier on me, I have been sticking to salads for lunch, basically random stuff from the fridge. I’m just looking for some inspiration of stuff I can buy in my shopping and just add to salads. So far I have been trying.

himmus
baba ganoush
salad leaves
carrots
peppers
cucumbers
beetroot
olives
edamame beans
quorn fillets
pesto and lentils
mozerrela
cheddar
chickpeas

quorn pieces
sticky rice
cucumber
pepper
avocado
edamame beans
grated carrot
maybe some feta

Not always together but peppers, lettuce, cucumber, red onion, cherry tomatoes

Well, I always have lots of leftovers from my tiny chicken after feeding 6 people at the weekend.....

I love those jarred artichokes in oil, or olives.

Sometimes I need to keep it really simple as have no time to think about it - have a jar of homemade basic french dressing in fridge, today I just grated half a courgette, carrot, added watercress and cherry tomatoes, put dressing on, munched.

Could have added beans or chickpeas had I thought about it.

Can I just add this was not my entire lunch! had some scrambled eggs as well. Just wanted to get some veggie portions in early in the day and 'stuff in a bowl, dressing on top' is quickest way to do that when wfh.

Add some nuts and seeds in. Toast them - makes a massive difference to the taste.

sunflower seeds
pumpkin seeds
flaked almonds
pecans
walnuts

I just had a salad with blue cheese and pecans and it was great.

also
roasted butternut or sweet potato
roasted peppers
quinoa
massaged kale (massaging with oil and salt reduces the bitterness and makes it texturally nicer too)
dried fruit like cranberries etc
drizzled tahini and pomegranate molasses

i'm a cliche, but I do really love a massive salad

But seriously....have you tried a few chickpeas? Lots of chopped herbs. And I like some tinned pineapple in mine, but I suspect that might be a minority opinion.

Seeds. You can toast them to make them crunchy. Dukkah is good too.

Adding nuts or seeds can help add fibre, add nutritional and helps keep you fuller for longer

-Beetroot, feta, walnut salad
-Paneer salad https://searchingforspice.com/marinated-paneer-salad/
-Som tam https://www.seriouseats.com/som-tam-green-papaya-salad-5208332 If you can't find green papaya near you, grated carrot, celeriac or grated kohl rabi can be substituted
-https://www.eatingwell.com/bhel-puri-inspired-salad-8645205

Am also trying to lose weight and whilst I know this thread is about salad thought I'd give a mention to fresh protein soup which I have been buying in Tesco. The ministrone is fabulous and very filling.

Name a fruit or veg, fridge, freezer or tinned and I'll stick it in there. With one portion of protein and one portion of carb. Yesterday I had spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, tinned sweetcorn, red pepper, pomegranate and some tinned pineapple chunks, with a handful of peanuts and a small jacket sweet potato. I put a little mayo on the salad, but sometimes I'll put garlic, ginger and soy sauce, eith some crunchy toasted garlic on top, or balsamic and mixed herbs.

What dressings do you all use?
I do olive oil and lemon but would like to try something different.

I always have grated courgette and red cabbage in mine.
Recently been trying to add more 'fermented' stuff so sourkraut, picked red cabbage etc.

Add some salted nuts and a little grated smoked red fox cheese.
A salad needs dressing. three things: Olive oil, apple cider vinegar, little bit of dijon mustard. shake it in a small pot, make it fresh each time

It'll make the salad satisfying and you won't go sniffing for anything else.

I put soy sauce on my lettuce, just to pep it up a bit. Other than that my salads are usually a pile of green leaves of whatever type, tomatoes, cucumber (lots because I love it), chopped onion and I have a herb garden so I'll shove a lot of chopped herbs over the top. Sometimes some balsamic vinegar, but that makes my mouth sore so not often. And whatever I've got hanging around that looks like it wants using up, pomegranate seeds, chopped nuts, some dried fruit, orange slices...

Tinned gigantes beans
Napolina bean salad
Spinach
Fennel
Lambs lettuce
Pomegranate seeds
Spicy Ayvar
Tinned dolmades
Vegan Weiner/frankfurter
Smoked tofu
Dried crispy onions
Dried bacon bits (I don't think they're made of meat)
Sultanas
Black olives
Artichokes from a jar
Mushrooms
Sundried tomatoes
Pickled chillis
Pickled onions
Cornichons
Basil
Parsley
Chicory
Radicchio
Sweet potato
Butternut squash

I often do a nicoise:

Salad leaves
Green beans
Black olives
Tomatoes
A tin of tuna
A hard boiled egg
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

I also make this:
Salad leaves
Tomatoes
Roast butternut squash and roast red onion
Goats cheese
Toasted walnuts
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Honey
Thyme

And this:
Salad leaves
Orzo
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Roast beetroot
Crumbled Stilton
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

And this:
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Green pepper
Red onion
Feta cheese
Olives
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Oregano

Tinned fish
Marinated beans - tinned beans left in a combo of red wine vinegar, olive oil, chilli flakes and herbs for a few hours
Pickled red onions (very easy to make)
Halloumi
Griddled courgette and aubergine

Depends what's in the fridge but usually lettuce, cucumber, tomato, carrot, red onion or spring onion, sweetcorn, red pepper and seeds (usually sunflower or pumpkin). Spinach, radish and sun dried tomatoes also appear if I have them.

I always add a main protein item e.g. salmon, chicken, hard boiled egg, chickpeas, mozzarella balls. And the dressing varies depending on the protein e.g. French, sweet chilli, Asian-style, honey mustard.

I have some really nice coarse grey sea salt with thick sweet balsamic vinegar

I like the dressing in this recipe although I cut down the amount of honey a bit

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/oriental-duck-salad

Definitely add nuts, seeds and avocado for the fat.

You don’t if say you eat fish? If you do, fry a mackerel fillet or two or include a whole tin of tuna.

There’s not enough protein in your current salad to keep you full so you’re very likely to fall off the wagon.

Oh, and sauerkraut!

Fermented foods are essential if you’re trying to lose weight.

I do a sort of chopped salad for a couple of weekdays and it often does one evening as a side dish, dressed with a little evoo , salt and lemon juice.
A selection from
Lentils/ chick peas/ cannellini beans
Little gem/ red or green chicory/ other leaves
Tomatoes often a mixture
Celery
Avocado
Cucumber
Grated carrot
Cabbage or fennel
Walnuts
Seeds eg sunflower
Jarred artichokes
Sundried tomatoes chopped small
Olives
Gherkins
Sauerkraut/ kimchi if I have
Feta/ cheddar/ tuna

I change it up but my favourite ingredients overall are rocket leaves, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, shallots, halloumi cheese, scamorza cheese, saurkraut, pickles, pimento peppers, red cabbage, endamame beans, crispy onions, roast chickpeas, cous cous, toasted almonds, tofu, roast asparagus, baby cucumber, vine tomatoes, walnuts, homemade crutons and grilled aubergene 😋.

I detest salad.....so, dust.