Healthy Salads that Don't Have a Lettuce, Pasta, or Potato Base

Salad can be a healthy and fast option for meals, but many people don't like lettuce or find its flavor bland.  Pasta or potato-based salads may contain too much starch for some diets.  Coating a salad with heavy dressings or cheeses in order to improve the flavor can result in a dish so unhealthy that you may as well eat something fatty and overcooked.  With a little imagination, basic healthy and organic ingredients can be turned into delicious salads that not only taste good, but are visually appealing as well.

Chickpea Salad

Chickpeas make a wonderful base for a salad.  Also commonly known as the garbanzo bean, the chickpea is one of the earliest cultivated legumes, with evidence of its existence found in the Middle East from 7,500 years ago.  An excellent source of protein and cholesterol-lowering fibre, chickpeas are high in magnesium and folic acid.  They are very versatile, as well.  Chickpeas can be purchased canned and ready to use, or dried.  For the dried variety, an overnight soaking is followed by boiling until soft.  For a tasty chickpea salad, toss in chopped onion, tomatoes, and cucumbers to the prepared peas.  Coat with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and minced garlic.  Add a bit of parsley and mix well.  Delightful! 

Sprouts Salad

Alfalfa, bean, or Brussels sprouts are all good choices for salad making. Alfalfa sprouts are sometimes used in place of lettuce on sandwiches, but they also make a light and tasty addition to a salad.  Once recognized as the "father of all foods," alfalfa sprouts are packed with vitamins and minerals and are very low in calories.  Filled with fibre and virtually fat-free, bean sprouts are both filling and quite healthy.  Mixed with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a bit of garlic, they become a lovely Japanese-style salad that is high in vitamins K and C.  A salad made with Brussels sprouts is a refreshing idea.  To trimmed, halved, and sliced Brussels sprouts, add sliced apple, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and raw or toasted pumpkin seeds.  Coat with a dressing of cider vinegar, oil, honey, and Dijon mustard.  Enjoy!  

Green Bean Salad

Green bean salads are very satisfying and contain all kinds of healthy things.  Available in many varieties, green beans can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, stir-fried, or baked.  For a delicious bean and tuna salad, start by boiling the beans until crisp-tender for about 4 minutes.  While those boil, whisk together lemon juice, minced garlic, olive oil, and chopped oregano.  When the beans are ready, remove from boiling water and place in a bowl of ice water.  Next, add one medium peeled and chopped potato to the already boiling water.  Allow potato to boil until tender and then cool quickly in ice water.  Mix vegetables with halved tomatoes, chopped basil leaves, chopped fresh parsley, and one can of tuna packed in oil.  Stir in dressing.  Delicious!       

Fruit Salad

A salad does not have to be vegetable-based.  A lovely fruit salad is an excellent choice for dessert or luncheon.  Begin with a favourite fruit and build from there with ingredients your family enjoys.  Apples or pears go well with fresh or dried berries and nuts.  Strawberries, bananas, grapes, and citrus fruits are another good combination.  Coat with a light honey-based dressing or simply a splash of lemon juice.  Either way, the options are unlimited.  

Contact us today at Quality Food for fresh salad ingredients that fit with a healthy lifestyle.