If you think that a “tasty salad” is an oxymoron, because a a salad is boring and you don’t feel like making it ever, you’ve been doing it wrong. Gone are the days when a salad was just green leaves with no sauce on it. Let’s hype up this salad game, because the possibilities are endless !
First, let’s focus on TEXTURE.
I don’t know about you but I love mixing textures, and I might have realised when I made this Taco Salad for the first time. It was crunchy and soft at the same time. For that, you can add finely sliced red onion, sweetcorn, barely boiled broccoli. Or any raw vegetable really.
I like to cook beluga lentils or roast chickpeas in the oven.
You can add soft and melty ingredients like roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, quinoa.
And adding nuts will always elevate the crunch game.
Second, let’s incorporate some healthy FATS.
This will help keep you full for longer, which is essentially what we want when we eat healthy foods. Don’t want to hear that stomach rumbling after only 60 minutes. So fats are on the menu !
Think feta cheese, nuts and avocado again, tinned fatty fish, olive oil.
Obviously adapt your add-ons if you’re making the salad the main show or if it’s “just” a side salad.
We now have to think of a fabulous DRESSING.
Now I’m not talking about ready-made dressing or vinaigrette that you buy at the shop, because that is full of sugar and weird additives that you can’t pronounce. A good (salad) dressing is always homemade. You can make a batch ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.
Dressings are everything and I will make a post “special dressings” soon, but I can think of the following:
- Classic : 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and 3 tbsp olive oil
- Tangy : 1 tsp honey, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbs Tamari, 1 tbsp tahini
- Satay : find the recipe here
- Pesto like : 1/2 avocado, 1 big garlic clove, 1 bunch of basil, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup water, mix in the blender (it’s heaven)
We are asking for COLOURS.
Not only is it good for your overall health to eat colourful (because of the polyphenols, the antioxidants, etc., as in, the brighter the better) it looks beautiful. A tasty salad is recognisable by its looks. The dish is going to look so appetising if you make it enticing and we know that colours are catchy.
You will find colours in plants, so that’s perfect ! Think red bell pepper, pink radishes, yellow tomatoes, green rocket leaves, pomegranate seeds, etc .. This is your Instagramable salad right there.
Finally, I always just looove adding a little something to finish it off, and by that I mean TOPPINGS.
The finishing touch essentially. Let’s sprinkle some Omega 3 mix (mix of seeds, usually sunflower, sesame, pumpkin), chop some aromatic herbs like basil or dill (my two favourites). Complement with goji berries for colour (again), more nuts – why not toast them in a dry pan (no oil).
These are my absolute best ways to make any salad go from lazy to tasty, or boring to amazing in a few steps. Now I wow my guests with random “salads. Maybe it’s because their expectations are really low when I offer a salad, who knows 😀
But you can do it too ! Let’s make eating healthy easy again, and also enjoy our food while eating more plants !
For more salad recipes, check out this Fennel and Quinoa Salad Recipe, Summer Berry Salad, Rocket and Sweet Potato Salad,
