Interesting Salads

[RubyFakeNails]

Typically have salad a couple of times a week, but now it's got all summery I know it's going to return as something we have with every meal. But after just one weekend I am so so bored with it always being the same thing.

Our salads are usually a combo of :

Round lettuce, rocket, cherry tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, red onion, spring onion, cucumber, olives and maybe a bit of carrot or cheese.

I always see recipes of things like watermelon and herb salad or other yummy stuff which I now can't remember but am looking for some suggestions.

Just to add I'm not looking for it to be the main meal necessarily although am not opposed. Tonight we're having spicy chickpea burgers, sweet potato and so would want a more interesting salad than just lettuce and tomato.

Add chopped up grapes to any salad, with a lovely lemon-and-oil dressing. Plus avocado chunks if you afford it. Lots of sliced tomatoes and fresh basil.

Cold rice salad - rice, chopped onion, peppers, cucumber, sweetcorn, grapes and dressing is nice.

Greek salad

Watermelon and feta salad is lovely - Nigella has a recipe which is probably available online if you google. I haven't got the book with it in, sorry.

Rocket, parmesan, red onion and a balsamic dressing.

Spinach and avocado with a lemony dressing.

Taboulleh has bulghar wheat so is quite substantial and v yummy.

Fatoush - a Middle Eastern salad with pitta bread.

I love 'busy' salads. I often put chopped up apple or pear in. I like to sort of shave carrots so I get ribbons iyswim - I use my vegetable peeler.

Beans are great - kidney beans or chickpeas for example.

Crumbled cheese. Watermelon and feta sounds astonishing.

Cold pasta, cold potatoes, etc etc. Anything!

This is divine You've just reminded me to make it again

Spinach with toasted sliced almond, red onion, dried cranberries and bits of crispy bacon in a sweet dressing. Had this in California on holiday, was delicious

Butternut squash wedges, crumbled goats cheese with mixed leaf salad

Main meal - strips of warm chicken breast, crispy bacon, cherry tomatoes (halved), red onion, avocado, mixed leaves.

Interesting things to add to salads- pomegranite seeds, toasted nuts (pine or almond), driet fruits, naice cheese (feta, goats, crumbly lancashire)

I always halve cherry tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil and lots of salt and black pepper at least 15 mins before adding to salad, really brings out flavour.

Oh another main meal one - prawns, salmon (the ready-cooked type), mango, cucumber and rocket leaves with a chilli and lime dressing.

I'm getting hungry writing this!

Mozzarella, avocado and tomato.

For a main/lunch salad, mixed leaves, feta, tomatoes, avocado, olives and some strips of cooked bacon. Leave the bacon off if you're veggie.

I love greek salad. I do lettuce, cucumber, feta, tomatoes, red onion and olives.

I've been making this salad of Nigella's a lot recently. It's a Mexican chicken salad, and tres good. Use Granny Smiths instead of the jicama.

That butternut squash one looks amazing, Joanna.

Just remembered another one - roast some shallots in oil and balsamic vinegar until they go all sticky and caramelised and yummy. Have on top of a load of rocket with some feta or shaved parmesan and more balsamic.

Steamed veg, beans, courgettes asparagus etc, then toss in a mustardy dressing while warm so that they soak up the flavour.

To liven up a salad I like to add grated courgette, seeds (pumpkin, pine nuts, sunflower seeds), fresh basil or other fresh herbs depending on type of meal it is accompanying. A good squeeze of lemon juice always livens up a boring salad too.

Nicoise salad
salad with cous cous, roasted veg and feta
Grilled halloumi with honey mustard dressing on a bed of mixed leaves with a sprinkle of mixed seeds and a toasted pitta to scoop up with - delish

Chickpea Salad with Haloumi is a hefty almost main course salad - great for lunch. I love mozzarella, tomato & basil with a balsamic vingarette, rocket & cherry tom with parmesan & balsamic vingarette. Morrocan Carrot salad - lots of recipes for this online - Yotam Ottolenghi's is punchy and a real favourite. And Saffron Caulflower is worth a second glance too.

Going a bit old-school here but you can't beat a Salad Nicoise. Never mind your posh cous cous etc, I love a bit of boiled egg in salads.

I am not a big fan of green leaves. But here's some of my recent salads.

Sliced beets with feta crumbled on top.

Carrot grated with some chopped chives and orange segments.

I also like cold new potatoes, rather than hot ones. So I alway make extra if i am making them for dinner, just to eat cold the following day!

Just had ah chance to get back to this before I do some food shopping for later. I don't think dh is going to know what's hit him, some of these sound really great!

Thanks wise mn, some really good but not too complicated ideas. Just what I needed.

baby spinach, chickpeas, avocado with vinaigrette.

I d never had a Waldorf salad until last week - I really enjoyed it, and made a change from lots of green leaves. There was no mayonnaise on mine thought, I think I would prefer it without.

1/2 cup chopped, slightly toasted walnuts
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red seedless grapes, sliced (or a 1/4 cup of raisins)
1 sweet apple, cored and chopped
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Lettuce

My favourite is red onion, spring onion, cucumber, yellow, red and orange peppers, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese. Chop the red onions and soak them in a cup of balsamic and half a cup of water and a spot of garlic. Chop everything else and chuck it in. Add a squeeze of lime.

Delicious, and it only gets better if you leave it in the fridge overnight.

No-one else up for the grapes, then?

Sliced tomato, basil, toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, and salt.

I had an amazing one at a restaurant recently.

Proscuitto (cooked like tiny curls of bacon), black pudding (broken up into small chunks), croutons, diced apple and a poached egg, all on a bed of green salad with some red onion and some kind of dressing.

I really wasn't sure about the apple at first but after a while I felt it needed it to counteract the meatiness of the other ingredients. I keep craving it now!

warm tomatoe salad:
cook rice, dice some tomatoes, chop some basil
mix all together with some creme fraiche, salt/pepper to taste.

OMG I could eat this whole thread it's delicious

Especially the grapes Linerunner!

I've bookmarked it to use later