Jun 08 2009
10 Ways To Make Your Salad More Satisfying
Mexican-style Quinoa Salad
One of my favorite things about the arrival of summer is all the beautiful, crisp salad greens at the farmers market. I absolutely love to eat salads, but how can you turn a salad into a meal that is truly satisfying?
The trick is to make sure you add enough protein, fat and carbohydrates to your salad so it is still a perfectly balanced meal.
I’ve described before how cooking some ingredients and adding them warm can make a simple salad feel more like a complete dinner. But there are dozens of other healthy additions you can use to make your salad more filling and delicious. Here are 10 of my favorites.
10 Ways To Make Your Salad More Satisfying
- Brown rice Single serving rice balls add a wonderful dimension to any salad.
- Nuts Walnuts and sliced almonds are my favorite nuts for salad, but there are many more to choose from.
- Beans Chickpeas, black beans, edamame and other legumes are inexpensive and delicious sources of protein and fiber.
- Avocado Half an avocado is sometimes exactly what a salad needs to take it to the next level.
- Smoked salmon For a slightly more upscale salad experience top your greens with a few slices of smoked salmon.
- Quinoa Mix in a small amount of quinoa as an accent or add more for a denser, more hearty meal.
- Grilled meats Your salad is a great place for summertime BBQ leftovers.
- Egg Boiled, fried or poached, an egg is a wonderful way to make your salad more substantial.
- Sardines Canned fish is one of the easiest, healthiest ways to get extra protein and omega-3 oils in your salad.
- Wheat berries Almost any grain is fantastic in a salad, but the nutty flavor of wheat berries is a particularly wonderful pairing.
How do you make your salads more hearty?
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Tags: avocado, beans, brown rice, egg, meat, nuts, quinoa, salad, salmon, sardines, wheat berries
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As usual, great post. I’m glad you put avocados on the list – a salad of traditional veggies often feels me a little unsatisfied, no matter how much salad I eat. A few slices of avocado is all it takes to feel like I’ve had an actual meal.
Travis
i like to add dried fruits or mandarin oranges to my salads. just a hint of sweet can ward off my craving for sugar.
Great idea! I often add fresh fruit and herbs.
How about a variation on beans: ‘ve been enjoying the green, crunchy goodness of bean sprouts. Garbanzos, mungs and lentils. And I’ve found it convenient and space-efficient using a nut milk/sprouting bag (rather than a jar). Only bummer is you have to wait a day or two; I keep a jar of ‘em in my fridge.
Sounds wonderful! I’ve never tried but sounds like I should look into it!
I’ve never heard of wheat berries; where do you get yours, I think I’ll go pick some up and try them out now. And great article!
I think you can get them anywhere, but especially health food stores like Whole Foods, Rainbow Grocery or Mother’s. You can also use bulgur, which is cracked wheat.
I’m big on sunflower and punpkin seeds and some cheese and either tuna or chicken with salads. Without some protein I’m hungry right away
I’m interested in the rice ball idea. That sounds yummy…
A homemade dressing with tahini or avocado or orange juice and ginger…I love it bc it makes a salad really really yummy instead of just ok