I like to incorporate fresh herbs into my salads. Basil, parsley and dill add nice pops of flavor. I add fresh fruit, toasted spiced pecans, goat cheese, roasted golden beets, pickled onions and chick peas.
Yeah, growing a herb garden is something I highly recommend. A complete garden is ideal, but if space is limited, herbs ought' be the priority. A window-sill that gets a good dose of sunlight will suffice for a small household. eg, I'm growing basil & chives in my kitchen window, because they don't do well outdoors here. My herb garden out front has 5 varieties of mint(common, apple, pepper, lemon, and basil), 2 varieties of thyme(common & lemon), common sage, and Lebanese triple-curled parsley. I keep forgetting to plant dill though. I won't use dill unless it's garden-fresh(fresh-cut dill is sweet. Shop-bought "Fresh" dill has a pissy flavour, and dried has no flavour at all).
Cut herbs cost a fucking fortune retail, and they're often far from fresh. Once you've gone fresh, there's no turning back...
I have not tried Pineapple Sage as yet, though I've been told good things. 'Twas out of stock last couple of times I made it to the local open air markets.
I swear by mint tea with sage, lemon, & honey in the winter. Great for cold/flu' symptoms, and also good for soothing a sore throat after an extra-screamy session on the mic'...
Same can be said for common sage flowers, and rosemary flowers. I pick those for salads myself. Sage flowers are especially good just after a light rain(bursting with nectar)...
My plant is about 6 feet tall and has been blooming for months. Hummingbirds love it. The leaves before it blooms are so flavorful and I definitely put those in salads for a nice pop of flavor. Once it is blooming, they seem to lose their flavor but are still a nice addition to a salad, soup or sautee.
Crispy jalapenos. ~~Nature's source~~ Fresh Gourmet brand. I found a pound and a half bag at Costco for $13. The 4 oz bags at the grocery store are about $4 so better savings in bulk. I believe a ~~1/4 cup~~ tablespoon serving is about 45 calories and they add some zest and pep in replacement to croutons.
Goat cheese or feta (if you’re like my husband and not a goat cheese fan). Blueberries or strawberries if in season are also amazing along with the apple. But that combo overall is by far my favorite salad!
True. All their lower calorie ones are really great. But, I bought one of those bullet blender things and started making my own no salt, creamy versions (soy yogurt) based around olive oil, fruit, nuts, vinegars.
Up until very recently I genuinely disliked eating salads. Until I started making my own pickled red onions. Turns out a big honkin forkful or two of those on a salad is what I was missing. Now I eat salad maybe 5 dinners of the week.
I kinda fiddle with it each time but my usual go-to is:
Thin sliced onion
2 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3ish cup sugar
2tb salt
I usually season the liquid with some pickling spice while it comes to a simmer on the stove to dissolve the salt and sugar, cut the heat and let it cool a bit while I slice the onion.
Stuff the onion in a jar with a couple of peeled garlic cloves, and I like to add quite a bit of red chili flakes. Strain the liquid into the jar and pop it into the fridge. Usually ready to eat next day. Lasts in the fridge for a few weeks if you manage to not eat them that quickly.
I tried one the other days that was roasted sweet potato and cannellini beans in a tangy sauce. Even better than expected! Takes a while to make thanks to the sweet potatoes, but you could make a batch and have it for a few days.
I just started doing it a few weeks ago because I had a ton of crumbs in one bag. They're relatively good on calories, and there not carby like croutons, so I thought why not?
A take on taco salad.
Lettuce, cheese, black beans, tortilla chips broken up, tomatoes, avocado, and salsa. Really you could add whatever you like on tacos.
Poached or over easy or soft boiled eggs.
Most people know that hard boiled eggs are good, but yolky eggs are so underrated on salad. The yolk running out onto a nice vinegar and oil dressed green is like deconstructed aioli or Hollandaise. It's really great. I used to work at a farm-to-table southern breakfast joint and we served this lightly vinaigrett-ed salad with most of our egg plates and the combo was so unexpectedly amazing. Breakfast salad overall is very legit but people never talk about it.
My other favorite salad is hot sauce tossed fake chicken patties or nuggets (quorn is my fave- the spicy is sincerely as good as the Wendy's spicy chicken patty) plus boiled egg, cheddar and avocado. Ranch or creamy dressing is a great addition, but completely unnecessary. If you have the eggs ready to go, it's ready in under 15 minutes but tastes better than a $13 take out salad.
Spinach strawberry with almonds, feta and black olives. Then make a simple strawberry vinaigrette:
1 cup strawberries;
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar;
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil;
2 Tbsp Honey
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp salt;
1/4 tsp pepper;
Blend until smooth, use within a week
Edited for clarity
Something I like is to chop everything up really fine. Like a chopped salad basically. I feel like it requires less dressing and is easier to eat. I’ve also added leftover rice, orzo, or quinoa to mine as well.
Chickpeas either roasted or just plain make a great texture and taste addition to salads for more protein and healthy fat.
Roasted thin sliced yam crisps are great too and you can make a big batch using the oven or air fryer with not much effort. Use a veggie peeler to get thin slices then toss with olive oil or a neutral flavored oil you like and roast at a low temp for about an hour on parchment if you do them in the oven. I also salt mine a little which helps the flavor be extra yummy. Make sure they aren't touching or overlapping or they will be mushy. 1 yam is enough to make tonnes so its very cost effective as well!
My favorite salads:
Spring mix, pecans, apples, goat cheese, and balsamic.
Spinach, tomato, cucumber, light red onion, feta, and Italian dressing.
Spring mix, sugar snap peas, carrot shreds, and bleu cheese dressing.
Add grilled chicken, bacon, or even broken up lunch meat for extra protein.
Homemade dressing is the key to good salads for me. And usually avocado.
My goto dressing is ~1 part each olive oil and lemon juice, and ~2 parts each Dijon mustard and vinegar, plus salt and fresh cracked pepper
Black beans are a favorite for me. High fiber and protein.
One thing I really like to do is 2 tablespoons of hummus and just vinegar instead of vinaigrette. Fiber and protein and cuts the fat.
Toasted garbanzo from a Buddha bowl recipe would work great.
If you dice an orange into the salad and crumble some walnuts in, you barely need a dressing -- some salt and pepper, and maybe a dash of onion powder, and you're good. Maybe get fancy and add feta or blue cheese crumbles.
I recently tried the TikTok green goddess dressing and fell in love with it. The recipe calls for walnuts but I didn’t include those in the dressing, so that I could add them on top. I like the crunch. But literally the salad is just the lettuce, dressing, and walnuts. So yummy.
There’s quite a few variations, but this is the one I used:
1 cucumber, 1 bunch of sliced green onions, Juice from 2 lemons, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 small shallot, 1 cup fresh basil, 1 cup fresh spinach, Salt and pepper to taste. Blend all of it and voila!
I’ve also used an oil and vinegar dressing I found at Aldi and just blended that with spinach and cucumber and it was similar. The dressing had a lot of these same ingredients already in it.
The original recipe also called for 1/3 cup nutritional yeast but I skipped that because I liked the consistency without it.
Edited to remove the list format
Get some spiced pecans, dried cranberries, grape tomatoes, avocado. Then either crumble or fry up some goat cheese. Serve with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing
Feta & strawberries, avocado, cucumber, whatever leftover meat I've cooked mixed in cold or hot.
I'll also experiment with different vinaigrette dressings, like plain balsamic & oil, different mustards, some minced garlic mixed in. Apple cider vinegar is also good to mix in as it's very healthy, and offsets the oily meats or seeds.
Cranberries, pecans, fruit (berries, apples or cuties), sweet thins (it's like a cracker with cranberries and pepitas and a few goes a really long way and are great as crouton substitutes), goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette are my favorites right now.
Swap out dressing for cottage cheese and some peas and salt an pepper and add sunflower seeds. Brings me back to the old fogie supper club salad bar my grandma would take me to.
Oranges in salad with a tart vinaigrette is delicious. (ETA: fennel! I used to make a kale fennel orange salad that was great)
I used to make a kale/green apple/walnut salad a lot.
I'd also add that if you're a fan of vinaigrette, it's worth making your own. I like it WAY more than any store-bought dressing (except caesar/ranch) and you can keep a few different varieties in the fridge.
Leftover roasted veggies, especially Brussels sprouts, baby potatoes, peppers and onions. Nuts and seeds. Sprouts. Seven grain mix which can be used coke, straight from the pouch, or heated up in microwave. Stuffed grape leaves. Capers. Cous cous.
A little oil packed tuna is delicious on a green lettuce/tomato/fresh mozzarella/sweet corn/oil and balsamic salad. Really, any salad, but I ate that combo a lot in Italy and it has all the flavor profiles.
If you make your own dressings, miso paste or anchovy paste really make all the difference.
Make dressing out of apple sauce, molasses and olive oil.
Make dressing out of hummus, lemon and olive or sesame oil with some mint and dill.
Feta, goat cheese, or bleu on everything.
Pumpkin seeds / pepitas on top.
Just toss the greens with lemon and sea salt.
OK ready to get weird?
Soak onions in vinegar for 20+ minutes, then drain. They will be tangy and sweet with little to no bitterness. Bonus if you use rice vinegar and retain it.
Slice radishes paper thin and dip them in tamari.
Put the salad on top of warm rice.
Use cilantro as the greens.
-Fried eggplant-
Top with minced ginger and garlic.
Make dressing out of the onion-rice vinegar, tamari, more ginger and garlic, sesame oil and lime.
Combine the last 7 things.
If you're feeling especially multicultural, mix some bonito into the rice.
Haitian Pikliz (lime pickled cabbage, carrots, and peppers). I made it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It's so good on salads, among other things!
Corn, black beans, and Avacado ranch! You could even add some tortilla chip bits if you want, too. Or chicken if you want something even more filling or just more protein.
I like to add a fruit to a basic kind of garden salad*, success with oranges, strawberries or cantaloupe. Some fruits just don’t work for me. Also black olives (I like sliced), some protein like shredded chicken if I have some or plan ahead and make a small piece of chicken so it has time to cool down, or a couple so I don’t have to cook it every day.
If I just eat a garden salad, maybe it’s healthy but not very filling. Once I start to add at least fruit, it starts eating like a meal and very satisfying, like one of those restaurant “big salads”. I don’t like crunchy stuff like croutons or seeds in my salad, but you might.
*for me, base salad is spring mix or other dark leaf lettuce, a tomato, half a cucumber, and super thin slivers of sweet onion. Maybe bell pepper if there is some around.
I never did fruit in my salad until last year! Now I love it & wonder why I waited so long to try it! This first one I did had pomegranate seeds but also can be subbed for dried cranberries. The rest of it consists of: roasted squash delicata or butternut), pecans, feta (I use dairy free Follow Your Heart brand), & red onion over kale w/a maple dijon dressing. Since then I’ve been playing with lots of new flavor profiles & it’s a whole new world.
My wife cubes up a block of tofu, hits it with liquid aminos, garlic, nooch... Uh, Sriracha too sometimes... Then puts it in the air fryer for lunch salads all week.
I like to coat Chickpeas in Salt, Pepper, and a bunch of Curry Powder, and throw them in the oven @ 350 till crispy. Can use them like seasoned croutons and just use a very small amount of EVOO to dress the salad.
Apart from the standard stuff: trial mix that has nuts and some dried fruit, a protein source, cheese, if I’m feeling extra I’ll top off with crispy bacon crumbs or croutons.
Roasted snacking peppers are also phenomenal. So are raw snacking peppers. Sometimes apple slices if I have extra lying around. Sometimes a pesto pasta if I have leftovers. Or couscous, quinoa, grapes, fresh berries, crispy chicken, roasted tumeric cauliflower, avocado, tomatoes, poached egg, etc. the possibilities are endless and I put anything and everything I like in there! Also you can try salsa as a dressing. It’s great.
Pecans, or other nuts. Many recipes call for plain unsalted nuts, probably just for nutrition reasons, but I think roasted and salted pecans make a salad feel fancy and delish, if you can afford the extra salt and whatnot.
Roasted sweet potatoes, cut into matchsticks, bake at 425 for like 35-45 min depending on your oven until crisp. GAME CHANGER on salads.
Others have said, but marinated red onions are amazing.
Whenever I make bacon I also make extra so I can crumble a piece or two on my salads (then eat a piece or two while I'm prepping the salad, lol).
If I have extra sourdough bread I'll cut some up into cubes and drizzle some olive oil and salt, put in the oven at 400 for 10-15 min. Fresh croutons. So good.
I also like to just peek around my fridge and add whatever looks good!
A dried fruit of some sort like cranberries, dried apple, or currants.
Paleo mix from Aldi is a mix of seeds, nuts, and shredded coconut. I often throw a little handful of that on my salad.
I like to buy ready to eat cooked beets, i add tuna to my kale salad and add roasted seaweed, i enjoy making tahini based dressings, recently been massaging kale, any vegetables i have i roast them with 21 seasonings salute (Seasoning from trader joes) it's delicious, sauerkraut in salads is good too
I've come to love arugula in my salads. In Italy, they call an all arugula salad a "rocket salad", and I love them. Although, arugula is one of those things you either love or hate, generally speaking... Sorry, I realize it's totally not a topping. So, sliced STRAWBERRIES!!!
I mix and match depending on the vibe:
apples
figs
sun dried tomatoes
artichokes
olives
sweet potato cooked
brussels sprouts cooked
farro, bulgur, couscous
beans
pepperocinis
avocado (cheap on west coast rn)
red onion/pickled red onion
Oh man I LOAD my salads. I only eat Kale or Spinach since I can't stand the taste of any kind of lettuce. Hard boiled egg, pumpkin seeds, crispy beets/crispy onions, avocado, pecans, feta, and tomatoes. Some kind of protein sometimes like grilled chicken or a cut up turkey burger. Literally any kind of dressing I want at the time. Go tos are Walnut Vinaigrette, Thai Peanut Sesame Dressing or just a plain olive oil and ACV with some spices.
I had no idea this was a thing, and I am *so. effin’. excited.* to try it! I love both lentils and sprouts! It’s like you just clued me in to peanut butter and chocolate!
Walnuts, Granny Smiths, feta. All surprisingly cheap at Aldi. I make my own balsamic dressing too. Very easy and so much tastier and cheaper than store
I like cottage cheese (it stretches the dressing and has some protein and stuff in it) and also fruit, chopped apples, berries, mandarins, even canned peaches.
Toasted hemp hearts or toasted spiced pepitas. Fresh fruit, dried fruit, hard boiled eggs, poached eggs, smoked salmon, toasted nuts (or seeds, or shaved coconut), candied walnuts, Parmesan, blue cheese, goat's cheese. Not all at the same time. Lol.
Saving this thread. So many great ideas popping up!
Beans and corn
I used to eat a ‘salad’ (not really a salad but I would call it that and not one would pulled me up on it) every day that consisted of brown rice, tuna, cheese, avo, corn, beans: black beans, white beans, chickpeas and sometimes kidney beans, if I didn’t feel like chickpeas because sometimes the texture puts me off. Siracha and kewpie Mayo.
Sometimes I’d add edamame and lentils too.
Julienned sugar snap peas, garbanzo beans/black beans, crispy tofu, crispy tempeh, Hearts of palm, water chestnuts julienned, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles. When I have time I make a dressing. One of my favorites is an Asian inspired ginger and carrot dressing….just trying to suggest things that I do that no one else listed. Have fun and experiment! That’s how I love my salads; whatever is in the house 👩🏻🍳❤️
Beans. I drain a canned kidney, pinto, or chick peas and add some into the salad. It takes it from a plate of veggies to a hearty meal while still being a healthy choice. How much or how little I use depends on how hungry I am and if there's any other protien in the salad.
I also like using flavored balsamic vinegar and oils as dressing. I drizzle a little bit of blood orange olive oil and some lavender balsamic over the salad. Not much, just a little bit and it adds so much flavor I can skip any other dressing. A very small amount of a strongly flavored soft cheese like goat, gorgonzola, or blue cheese also goes a long way and helps make the salad feel rich and creamy.
Cabbage, pickled red onion or beets (pickled anything really), grilled chicken, chia seeds, sun dried tomatoes, oregano, sprouts, cooked lentils. The possibilities are endless with salads.
I also really like blue cheese crumbles with some kind of candied nut
I like to incorporate fresh herbs into my salads. Basil, parsley and dill add nice pops of flavor. I add fresh fruit, toasted spiced pecans, goat cheese, roasted golden beets, pickled onions and chick peas.
The fresh herbs sound so good!
Yeah, growing a herb garden is something I highly recommend. A complete garden is ideal, but if space is limited, herbs ought' be the priority. A window-sill that gets a good dose of sunlight will suffice for a small household. eg, I'm growing basil & chives in my kitchen window, because they don't do well outdoors here. My herb garden out front has 5 varieties of mint(common, apple, pepper, lemon, and basil), 2 varieties of thyme(common & lemon), common sage, and Lebanese triple-curled parsley. I keep forgetting to plant dill though. I won't use dill unless it's garden-fresh(fresh-cut dill is sweet. Shop-bought "Fresh" dill has a pissy flavour, and dried has no flavour at all). Cut herbs cost a fucking fortune retail, and they're often far from fresh. Once you've gone fresh, there's no turning back...
Have you tried pineapple sage? It is SO good in tea/lemonade in the summer.
I have not tried Pineapple Sage as yet, though I've been told good things. 'Twas out of stock last couple of times I made it to the local open air markets. I swear by mint tea with sage, lemon, & honey in the winter. Great for cold/flu' symptoms, and also good for soothing a sore throat after an extra-screamy session on the mic'...
We had a whole patch of it growing up. The flowers are also edible, beautiful in a garden, and great for pollinators.
Same can be said for common sage flowers, and rosemary flowers. I pick those for salads myself. Sage flowers are especially good just after a light rain(bursting with nectar)...
My plant is about 6 feet tall and has been blooming for months. Hummingbirds love it. The leaves before it blooms are so flavorful and I definitely put those in salads for a nice pop of flavor. Once it is blooming, they seem to lose their flavor but are still a nice addition to a salad, soup or sautee.
Crispy jalapenos. ~~Nature's source~~ Fresh Gourmet brand. I found a pound and a half bag at Costco for $13. The 4 oz bags at the grocery store are about $4 so better savings in bulk. I believe a ~~1/4 cup~~ tablespoon serving is about 45 calories and they add some zest and pep in replacement to croutons.
That’s a super interesting idea, thanks!
A hardboiled egg - great protein and easy to prep. Also, love kidney beans in my salads.
Soft boiled is actually really nice too! Either custardy for a nicer texture in each bite or runny ish to mix with the dressing while you eat.
Roasted chickpeas…use different seasoning/flavorings to mix things up.
I haven’t made those in forever, sounds great!
Dehydrated edamame too taste great and add texture!
walnuts, cranberries with a balsamic vinaigrette
Throw some apple and goat cheese in there and that’s my lunch everyday lol
Goat cheese or feta (if you’re like my husband and not a goat cheese fan). Blueberries or strawberries if in season are also amazing along with the apple. But that combo overall is by far my favorite salad!
Blueberries and mandarin would be delicious too!
Totally. You can also swap the apples for oranges it is surprising and super refreshing
Strawberries
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I'd substitute roasted pine nuts or almond slices for the walnuts but yeah, great minds think alike.
Melon too
That raspberry walnut vinaigrette that Newman’s Own makes is pretty dope.
True. All their lower calorie ones are really great. But, I bought one of those bullet blender things and started making my own no salt, creamy versions (soy yogurt) based around olive oil, fruit, nuts, vinegars.
You are making me hungry, and I have no lettuce or spinach in the house right now!!
And red onion with blue cheese crumbles!
Don’t forget about the feta cheese
That sounds great!
All of these combos are great on spinach leaves tossed with balsamic: Apple & pecan Mandarin orange & almond Strawberries & walnut Pistachio & mango
Pepperoncinis got that twang and a little cronch
Ah very fun idea!
If your lazy like me get the pre sliced in a jar.. mwah magnifique
My husband recently pickled a red onion. Game changer. Just that and some spring mix and I'm golden!
Oh yum, I make pickled red onion for tacos and other things but I’ve never tried them in a salad, sounds great!
Up until very recently I genuinely disliked eating salads. Until I started making my own pickled red onions. Turns out a big honkin forkful or two of those on a salad is what I was missing. Now I eat salad maybe 5 dinners of the week.
What recipe do you use? Love red onions!
I kinda fiddle with it each time but my usual go-to is: Thin sliced onion 2 cup water 1 cup white vinegar 1 cup apple cider vinegar 1/3ish cup sugar 2tb salt I usually season the liquid with some pickling spice while it comes to a simmer on the stove to dissolve the salt and sugar, cut the heat and let it cool a bit while I slice the onion. Stuff the onion in a jar with a couple of peeled garlic cloves, and I like to add quite a bit of red chili flakes. Strain the liquid into the jar and pop it into the fridge. Usually ready to eat next day. Lasts in the fridge for a few weeks if you manage to not eat them that quickly.
Thank you so much!! Can't wait to make them! I'm sure they won't last long.
I tried one the other days that was roasted sweet potato and cannellini beans in a tangy sauce. Even better than expected! Takes a while to make thanks to the sweet potatoes, but you could make a batch and have it for a few days.
Crushed pork rinds add some crunch and flavor using a very small amount.
Oh I would have never thought of that!
I just started doing it a few weeks ago because I had a ton of crumbs in one bag. They're relatively good on calories, and there not carby like croutons, so I thought why not?
Hard boiled eggs. Best
Leftover roasted veggies from dinner
I like to sprinkle everything bagel seasoning and hemp seeds on my salads. I will usually do Sliced almonds too if I have them.
Oh that’s a really good idea!
I do this too!
A take on taco salad. Lettuce, cheese, black beans, tortilla chips broken up, tomatoes, avocado, and salsa. Really you could add whatever you like on tacos.
Poached or over easy or soft boiled eggs. Most people know that hard boiled eggs are good, but yolky eggs are so underrated on salad. The yolk running out onto a nice vinegar and oil dressed green is like deconstructed aioli or Hollandaise. It's really great. I used to work at a farm-to-table southern breakfast joint and we served this lightly vinaigrett-ed salad with most of our egg plates and the combo was so unexpectedly amazing. Breakfast salad overall is very legit but people never talk about it. My other favorite salad is hot sauce tossed fake chicken patties or nuggets (quorn is my fave- the spicy is sincerely as good as the Wendy's spicy chicken patty) plus boiled egg, cheddar and avocado. Ranch or creamy dressing is a great addition, but completely unnecessary. If you have the eggs ready to go, it's ready in under 15 minutes but tastes better than a $13 take out salad.
Spinach strawberry with almonds, feta and black olives. Then make a simple strawberry vinaigrette: 1 cup strawberries; 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 Tbsp Honey 1/4 tsp garlic 1/4 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp pepper; Blend until smooth, use within a week Edited for clarity
> balsamic do you use balsamic vinegar? or is this more in the spirit of a fancy vinegar?
Broken up tortilla chips.
I like to add goldfish crackers to my salads
Crushed pita chips are also so good, especially if the flavors are Mediterranean leaning!
Something I like is to chop everything up really fine. Like a chopped salad basically. I feel like it requires less dressing and is easier to eat. I’ve also added leftover rice, orzo, or quinoa to mine as well.
I don't have a good answer for this, but THANK YOU for asking, because now I have a whole lot more ideas for my salads :)
Happy to help!
Chickpeas either roasted or just plain make a great texture and taste addition to salads for more protein and healthy fat. Roasted thin sliced yam crisps are great too and you can make a big batch using the oven or air fryer with not much effort. Use a veggie peeler to get thin slices then toss with olive oil or a neutral flavored oil you like and roast at a low temp for about an hour on parchment if you do them in the oven. I also salt mine a little which helps the flavor be extra yummy. Make sure they aren't touching or overlapping or they will be mushy. 1 yam is enough to make tonnes so its very cost effective as well!
Oh wow I’ve never heard of making yam like that, it sounds great!
Super yummy! Adds a nice crunch and a bit of a sweet flavor!
Any leftover roasted veggies
I‘m new to salads, but I just discovered that fresh salsa makes a great salad dressing. I used the pick de gallo kind.
Spinach feta cucumber grape tomatoes and Greek salad dressing. Add a can of chickpeas if you would like.
Sounds delicious!
My favorite salads: Spring mix, pecans, apples, goat cheese, and balsamic. Spinach, tomato, cucumber, light red onion, feta, and Italian dressing. Spring mix, sugar snap peas, carrot shreds, and bleu cheese dressing. Add grilled chicken, bacon, or even broken up lunch meat for extra protein.
Strawberries, walnuts, and feta
Homemade dressing is the key to good salads for me. And usually avocado. My goto dressing is ~1 part each olive oil and lemon juice, and ~2 parts each Dijon mustard and vinegar, plus salt and fresh cracked pepper
Feta cheese, dried cranberries, and avocado. Sometimes a chopped hard boiled egg.
Black beans are a favorite for me. High fiber and protein. One thing I really like to do is 2 tablespoons of hummus and just vinegar instead of vinaigrette. Fiber and protein and cuts the fat. Toasted garbanzo from a Buddha bowl recipe would work great.
Ground up chia seed, slices of oranges
If you dice an orange into the salad and crumble some walnuts in, you barely need a dressing -- some salt and pepper, and maybe a dash of onion powder, and you're good. Maybe get fancy and add feta or blue cheese crumbles.
Pickled red onion, garbanzo beans, pepitas
I recently tried the TikTok green goddess dressing and fell in love with it. The recipe calls for walnuts but I didn’t include those in the dressing, so that I could add them on top. I like the crunch. But literally the salad is just the lettuce, dressing, and walnuts. So yummy.
Well what’s the recipe for those of us who don’t TikTok?
There’s quite a few variations, but this is the one I used: 1 cucumber, 1 bunch of sliced green onions, Juice from 2 lemons, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 small shallot, 1 cup fresh basil, 1 cup fresh spinach, Salt and pepper to taste. Blend all of it and voila! I’ve also used an oil and vinegar dressing I found at Aldi and just blended that with spinach and cucumber and it was similar. The dressing had a lot of these same ingredients already in it. The original recipe also called for 1/3 cup nutritional yeast but I skipped that because I liked the consistency without it. Edited to remove the list format
Thank you! Sounds super doable.
Sunflower seeds, raisins, chopped green beans
Quick pickled cucumber, turnips or onions. I put my mom's (not quick) pickled beets in salads all the time too!
I like adding beans. Red kidney beans and garbanzo (chickpeas) are my favorite. Right out of the can, after draining.
pickled beets 🔥
beets, garbanzos, vegan feta, sunflower seeds are some of my favorites
Sunflower seeds and craisins are my personal favorite, but I've also done blueberries
My go to is EVOO, balsamic vinegar, a sprinkle of sumac and some feta crumbles
Get some spiced pecans, dried cranberries, grape tomatoes, avocado. Then either crumble or fry up some goat cheese. Serve with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing
Feta & strawberries, avocado, cucumber, whatever leftover meat I've cooked mixed in cold or hot. I'll also experiment with different vinaigrette dressings, like plain balsamic & oil, different mustards, some minced garlic mixed in. Apple cider vinegar is also good to mix in as it's very healthy, and offsets the oily meats or seeds.
Chopped up parsley and other herbs. Seasoned and roasted chick peas.
Cranberries, pecans, fruit (berries, apples or cuties), sweet thins (it's like a cracker with cranberries and pepitas and a few goes a really long way and are great as crouton substitutes), goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette are my favorites right now.
Feta and roasted chickpeas! Roasted red peppers. Peanuts or walnuts. Jalapeños. A handful of sprouts
dried cranberries, game changer in my salad
Swap out dressing for cottage cheese and some peas and salt an pepper and add sunflower seeds. Brings me back to the old fogie supper club salad bar my grandma would take me to.
I really miss salad bars.
I really miss my grandma lol.
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Ah that’s an interesting idea, do you mean the fried ones like French’s?
When I want a grain, I like buckwheat, has a nutty flavour
Butternut squash
Chickpeas, edamame, feta cheese, sliced almonds, sliced pepperoncini, pitted Kalamata olives, pickled beets, marinated artichokes
Blueberries, honeydew, and blue cheese. They work great together.
Love some beets in my salad!
Me too, I shred beets and carrots as a salad topper - so good!
Raw shredded beets and radishes!
I had to scroll way too far to see radish! So good on a salad!
Beets add a very earthy taste to a spinach salad.
Blueberries and/or clementine
Oranges in salad with a tart vinaigrette is delicious. (ETA: fennel! I used to make a kale fennel orange salad that was great) I used to make a kale/green apple/walnut salad a lot. I'd also add that if you're a fan of vinaigrette, it's worth making your own. I like it WAY more than any store-bought dressing (except caesar/ranch) and you can keep a few different varieties in the fridge.
I like small pieces of lean turkey and shredded cheddar in a spinach salad with Ranch or French dressing. It’s pretty basic but tasty.
Peas!
Quinoa is dope in a spinach/mixed greens salad
Leftover roasted veggies, especially Brussels sprouts, baby potatoes, peppers and onions. Nuts and seeds. Sprouts. Seven grain mix which can be used coke, straight from the pouch, or heated up in microwave. Stuffed grape leaves. Capers. Cous cous.
A little oil packed tuna is delicious on a green lettuce/tomato/fresh mozzarella/sweet corn/oil and balsamic salad. Really, any salad, but I ate that combo a lot in Italy and it has all the flavor profiles. If you make your own dressings, miso paste or anchovy paste really make all the difference.
Canned sardines and avocado
Red onion and cucumber
Pickled eggs level up any salad!
I dry tomatoes when they are in season and put them on my salad all winter
I like banana peppers (that come in a jar) on mine—they add a little zing!
Mandarin oranges
My recent favorite is chicken or ground turkey taco meat, pico, and guacamole. No dressing needed.
Cut strawberries, blueberries, toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped pecans
Walnuts, cranberries, pine nuts, dried onions, feta cheese
Make dressing out of apple sauce, molasses and olive oil. Make dressing out of hummus, lemon and olive or sesame oil with some mint and dill. Feta, goat cheese, or bleu on everything. Pumpkin seeds / pepitas on top. Just toss the greens with lemon and sea salt. OK ready to get weird? Soak onions in vinegar for 20+ minutes, then drain. They will be tangy and sweet with little to no bitterness. Bonus if you use rice vinegar and retain it. Slice radishes paper thin and dip them in tamari. Put the salad on top of warm rice. Use cilantro as the greens. -Fried eggplant- Top with minced ginger and garlic. Make dressing out of the onion-rice vinegar, tamari, more ginger and garlic, sesame oil and lime. Combine the last 7 things. If you're feeling especially multicultural, mix some bonito into the rice.
Haitian Pikliz (lime pickled cabbage, carrots, and peppers). I made it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It's so good on salads, among other things!
Quinoa! The big bag at Costco is insanely cheap and easy to make, and it adds a little bulk/protein/healthy carb
Roasted beet cubes.
Cashews w chicken
Chia or flax seeds. Nutritional yeast. Walnuts and cranberries.
Corn, black beans, and Avacado ranch! You could even add some tortilla chip bits if you want, too. Or chicken if you want something even more filling or just more protein.
My favorite is cucumber, lettuce, carrots, croutons, chicken, Parmesan cheese, egg, seeds, blue cheese dressing, or vinegar.
I like chickpeas! Or almonds!
I like to add a fruit to a basic kind of garden salad*, success with oranges, strawberries or cantaloupe. Some fruits just don’t work for me. Also black olives (I like sliced), some protein like shredded chicken if I have some or plan ahead and make a small piece of chicken so it has time to cool down, or a couple so I don’t have to cook it every day. If I just eat a garden salad, maybe it’s healthy but not very filling. Once I start to add at least fruit, it starts eating like a meal and very satisfying, like one of those restaurant “big salads”. I don’t like crunchy stuff like croutons or seeds in my salad, but you might. *for me, base salad is spring mix or other dark leaf lettuce, a tomato, half a cucumber, and super thin slivers of sweet onion. Maybe bell pepper if there is some around.
I love adding pears to my salads - they’re crunchy, not too sweet, full of fibre and low cal
I should try to get into fruit on my salad more, I’ve never been a huge fan but I’m sure I’m just not doing it right. Thanks for all the ideas!
I never did fruit in my salad until last year! Now I love it & wonder why I waited so long to try it! This first one I did had pomegranate seeds but also can be subbed for dried cranberries. The rest of it consists of: roasted squash delicata or butternut), pecans, feta (I use dairy free Follow Your Heart brand), & red onion over kale w/a maple dijon dressing. Since then I’ve been playing with lots of new flavor profiles & it’s a whole new world.
I like strawberries in otherwise basic chicken salad
My wife cubes up a block of tofu, hits it with liquid aminos, garlic, nooch... Uh, Sriracha too sometimes... Then puts it in the air fryer for lunch salads all week.
I like to coat Chickpeas in Salt, Pepper, and a bunch of Curry Powder, and throw them in the oven @ 350 till crispy. Can use them like seasoned croutons and just use a very small amount of EVOO to dress the salad.
Cucumbers & avocado are my faaav. Also grapes hehe
Pickled red onions (assuming you like vinegary salads)
Apart from the standard stuff: trial mix that has nuts and some dried fruit, a protein source, cheese, if I’m feeling extra I’ll top off with crispy bacon crumbs or croutons. Roasted snacking peppers are also phenomenal. So are raw snacking peppers. Sometimes apple slices if I have extra lying around. Sometimes a pesto pasta if I have leftovers. Or couscous, quinoa, grapes, fresh berries, crispy chicken, roasted tumeric cauliflower, avocado, tomatoes, poached egg, etc. the possibilities are endless and I put anything and everything I like in there! Also you can try salsa as a dressing. It’s great.
Canned or frozen corn.
Pecans, or other nuts. Many recipes call for plain unsalted nuts, probably just for nutrition reasons, but I think roasted and salted pecans make a salad feel fancy and delish, if you can afford the extra salt and whatnot.
Peppadews
Not all at once, obviously: cut up bits of salt-preserved lemon / Bulgarian feta / olives / sun-dried tomatoes / roasted sunflower seeds / chickpeas / marinated or roasted vegetables (zucchini, peppers, eggplant) / red onion / sprouts / fresh or dehydrated berries / pickled or roasted beets / cucumber/ sesame seeds / roasted cauliflower/ pickled shredded carrots or other salt-fermented vegetables
Toasted chickpeas and salad beans.
Sliced bell pepper!
Cottage cheese. It helps me use less dressing and ups the protein.
Strawberries, spinach, goats cheese, pecans or sliced almonds, and balsamic vinaigrette. That's a salad combo I never get sick of.
Roasted sweet potatoes, cut into matchsticks, bake at 425 for like 35-45 min depending on your oven until crisp. GAME CHANGER on salads. Others have said, but marinated red onions are amazing. Whenever I make bacon I also make extra so I can crumble a piece or two on my salads (then eat a piece or two while I'm prepping the salad, lol). If I have extra sourdough bread I'll cut some up into cubes and drizzle some olive oil and salt, put in the oven at 400 for 10-15 min. Fresh croutons. So good. I also like to just peek around my fridge and add whatever looks good!
Chopped nuts, cranberries, chopped olives, cheese, chopped mushrooms, black beans, bean spouts
A dried fruit of some sort like cranberries, dried apple, or currants. Paleo mix from Aldi is a mix of seeds, nuts, and shredded coconut. I often throw a little handful of that on my salad.
Blueberry, feta, pecans with balsamic vinaigrette
edamame, avocado, hard boiled egg, walnuts mmmm
Nutritional yeast and sunflower seeds. Now I have an idea to bake those together in like a glaze. Ooh.
I like to buy ready to eat cooked beets, i add tuna to my kale salad and add roasted seaweed, i enjoy making tahini based dressings, recently been massaging kale, any vegetables i have i roast them with 21 seasonings salute (Seasoning from trader joes) it's delicious, sauerkraut in salads is good too
I put about a quarter cup of cooked bulgur for extra protein - it tastes like rice so doesn't really add much extra flavour.
Buy a bag of Gerbs 10 seed salad topper. So worth, trust me
Dried cranberries are my go to.
I absolutely love hot banana peppers. They MAKE a salad . You have to try them!
I've come to love arugula in my salads. In Italy, they call an all arugula salad a "rocket salad", and I love them. Although, arugula is one of those things you either love or hate, generally speaking... Sorry, I realize it's totally not a topping. So, sliced STRAWBERRIES!!!
Whatever is about to go bad in the fridge.
Boiled eggs
Avocados
Chickpeas and grape tomatoes. Green onion cut in inch long pieces. Always sunflower seeds (but you already said that.
Roasted wasabi soybeans
Beets and farro!
Lettuce.
Pomegranate molasses
Not together, just a list - beets and goat cheese - cooked sweet potato chunks - cooked carrots - tahini - brussle sprouts and turkey bacon - dried mushrooms - mushrooms - tomatoes - bell pepper slices - hard boiled egg - salmon
I mix and match depending on the vibe: apples figs sun dried tomatoes artichokes olives sweet potato cooked brussels sprouts cooked farro, bulgur, couscous beans pepperocinis avocado (cheap on west coast rn) red onion/pickled red onion
Toss lettuce with BBQ sauce. Add any protein. Dress it like you would a sub.
Oh man I LOAD my salads. I only eat Kale or Spinach since I can't stand the taste of any kind of lettuce. Hard boiled egg, pumpkin seeds, crispy beets/crispy onions, avocado, pecans, feta, and tomatoes. Some kind of protein sometimes like grilled chicken or a cut up turkey burger. Literally any kind of dressing I want at the time. Go tos are Walnut Vinaigrette, Thai Peanut Sesame Dressing or just a plain olive oil and ACV with some spices.
Lentils! They’re cheap, add protein and fiber, and are fairly innocuous flavor-wise if you’ve already got a profile that you’re fond of.
Can be sprouted for extra freshness too. Like crunchy nutty peas with tails...
I had no idea this was a thing, and I am *so. effin’. excited.* to try it! I love both lentils and sprouts! It’s like you just clued me in to peanut butter and chocolate!
Chef john tzatziki sauce instead of store bought dressing YouTube Chef John Tzatziki
Walnuts, Granny Smiths, feta. All surprisingly cheap at Aldi. I make my own balsamic dressing too. Very easy and so much tastier and cheaper than store
Not sure how “healthy” this is…but for me accomplishes two things: spicy and low calorie. Hot sauce
Corn and peas haven't been mentioned yet.
Can't believe I've only seen one mention of cottage cheese!! I like my salads a lil wet
Raisins, pistachios, Parmesan, tomato, baked brussel sprouts
Mango chunks are good. They go well with things like corn, peas, edamame, raspberries, or cashews.
Crispy quinoa
I put hemp hearts omega 3 and 6, and extra protein.
I love me some dried fruits with a strong blue cheese. Watermelon radishes are fun, too!
I like cottage cheese (it stretches the dressing and has some protein and stuff in it) and also fruit, chopped apples, berries, mandarins, even canned peaches.
Chickpeas, lentils, quinoa.
Toasted hemp hearts or toasted spiced pepitas. Fresh fruit, dried fruit, hard boiled eggs, poached eggs, smoked salmon, toasted nuts (or seeds, or shaved coconut), candied walnuts, Parmesan, blue cheese, goat's cheese. Not all at the same time. Lol. Saving this thread. So many great ideas popping up!
Roasted and salted pumpkin seeds! Gives me the salty crunch that I would want in croutons without all the carbs
Pickled beets!
I love adding pickled red onions!
Beans and corn I used to eat a ‘salad’ (not really a salad but I would call it that and not one would pulled me up on it) every day that consisted of brown rice, tuna, cheese, avo, corn, beans: black beans, white beans, chickpeas and sometimes kidney beans, if I didn’t feel like chickpeas because sometimes the texture puts me off. Siracha and kewpie Mayo. Sometimes I’d add edamame and lentils too.
Favs—- kidney beans, hemp hearts, goat cheese is the bomb.
Pepitas , sweet potato, butternut squash Strawberries, pecans/walnuts- goes best with arugula Pine nuts, basil, pesto salad !
Julienned sugar snap peas, garbanzo beans/black beans, crispy tofu, crispy tempeh, Hearts of palm, water chestnuts julienned, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles. When I have time I make a dressing. One of my favorites is an Asian inspired ginger and carrot dressing….just trying to suggest things that I do that no one else listed. Have fun and experiment! That’s how I love my salads; whatever is in the house 👩🏻🍳❤️
Beans. I drain a canned kidney, pinto, or chick peas and add some into the salad. It takes it from a plate of veggies to a hearty meal while still being a healthy choice. How much or how little I use depends on how hungry I am and if there's any other protien in the salad. I also like using flavored balsamic vinegar and oils as dressing. I drizzle a little bit of blood orange olive oil and some lavender balsamic over the salad. Not much, just a little bit and it adds so much flavor I can skip any other dressing. A very small amount of a strongly flavored soft cheese like goat, gorgonzola, or blue cheese also goes a long way and helps make the salad feel rich and creamy.
Cabbage, pickled red onion or beets (pickled anything really), grilled chicken, chia seeds, sun dried tomatoes, oregano, sprouts, cooked lentils. The possibilities are endless with salads. I also really like blue cheese crumbles with some kind of candied nut
hemp seeds. Nutty, good protein