In the world of healthy eating, salads have always been a go-to option for those looking to boost their veggie intake and nourish their bodies with essential nutrients. However, if you’re tired of the same old lettuce-based salads, it’s time to get creative and explore the vast array of delicious and nutritious salads that don’t include a single leaf of lettuce. If you haven’t already make sure you check out part 1 of this two part blog series here: The Ultimate Guide to Creating Delicious and Healthy Salads – Part 1 – Cecelia Health
Why Eating Healthy is Important
Before we dive into the world of lettuce-free salads, let’s take a moment to remind ourselves why eating healthy is so crucial. A balanced and nutritious diet plays a key role in maintaining overall health and well-being. By consuming a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, you provide your body with the necessary vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants it needs to function optimally. Eating healthy can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, boost energy levels, improve mood, and support a healthy weight.
The Power of Salads
Salads offer endless possibilities for customization, allowing you to experiment with different flavor combinations and textures to keep your meals exciting and satisfying. Prepping ahead of time ensures you have healthy options for mealtimes and on the go. Experimenting with different vegetables, proteins, dressings, and add-ins can bring such variety to the plate, you’ll never get bored with eating salads again.
Salad Recipes to Try
We are going to explore a variety of salad recipes that do not include a single leaf of lettuce! Besides delicious fruits and vegetables, each salad also contains protein and carbohydrates, meaning each salad is an entire meal by itself. All recipes should be modified to fit your needs and taste preferences.
Salads with a Slaw Mix
- Super Slaw – coleslaw mix, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, and coleslaw dressing
- Peanut Crunch Salad – broccoli slaw mix, shredded Brussel sprouts, sliced green onions, edamame, peanuts, and peanut dressing (1/4 cup peanut butter, 2 TBSP lemon or lime juice, 2 TBSP soy sauce, 2 TBSP maple syrup, ¼ tsp ginger)
- Sesame Slaw – coleslaw mix, diced bell peppers, edamame, sesame seeds, and sesame ginger dressing
Veggie Based Salads
- Bean Salad – beans (black, pinto, and kidney), chopped red or green peppers, sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped red onion, chopped cilantro, and bean dressing (1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 2 TBSP lime juice, 1 TBSP lemon juice, ½ TBSP cumin, ½ TBSP black pepper, dash hot sauce, ½ tsp chili powder)
- Greek Salad – diced bell peppers (red, yellow, and orange), black or pinto beans, diced cucumber, chopped onion, sliced black olives, feta cheese, and red wine vinaigrette dressing (1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp oregano, salt and pepper to taste)
- Quinoa Salad – quinoa, diced cucumber, diced onion, chopped red pepper, chopped parsley, and red wine vinaigrette
Salads are a fantastic meal option. Whether you spend your Sundays meal prepping and making several days of nutritious salads to enjoy for lunch throughout the week, or if you simply pack it in a Ziploc bag and have it on the go, salads offer a wonderful opportunity to make sure that you’re getting an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals every day. The incredible ability of vegetables to decrease inflammation, improve weight, lower the risk of chronic diseases, boost cognitive function, slow down the aging process, and promote overall well-being makes it crucial to incorporate more vegetables into your daily routine, and salads are an ideal way to achieve that.