Jun 08 2011
10 Ways To Make Your Salad More Satisfying
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 full 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.
There are dozens of 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
- Warm ingredients Grilled or sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms and meats wilt salad greens and make them slightly warm, adding depth and character to an otherwise boring salad.
- Brown rice Adding 1/2 cup of warm rice to a salad makes it more satisfying to eat and keeps you full for longer. Use single serving rice balls and this simple addition will add less than 2 minutes to your salad prep time.
- Nuts Walnuts and sliced almonds are my favorite, but feel free to try pecans, cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds or anything else that sounds interesting.
- Beans Chickpeas, black beans, edamame and other legumes are inexpensive and delicious sources of protein and fiber to add some substance to a salad.
- 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 make it the base of a salad by adding cooked or raw veggies and greens. See my Mexican-style quinoa salad recipe.
- 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. See my Summer salad with poached egg recipe.
- Sardines Canned fish is one of the easiest ways to get extra protein and omega-3 oils in your salad. Here are 6 reasons to eat more sardines.
How do you make your salads more hearty?
This article was originally published June 8, 2009.
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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.
A small handful of dried berries is a great addition.
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
Great tips! My favorite ones are the ones that include fish, other meats and egg. At Whole Foods the other Day I got myself a small salad. It was just simple spring greens and roasted salmon drizzled with olive oil and red wine vinegar! It was so delicious…and only $1.67!
Great suggestions! I was just in search for a better farmer’s market than the one we normally go to and someone on Twitter gave me a recommendation. Can’t wait to go see what they have to offer.
I love to add beans to my salads! Garbanzo are my favorite along with black beans. Yum!
Great tips as usual Darya:) grilled lobster with a hint of butter and lots of lime on top of my salads is one of my favorites during the summer. Also sautéd pears in a small amount of walnut oil, toasted walnuts with a little cheese on top of my salad= dessert salad.
LOL, dessert salad. Love it!
I love salads. Frozen peas (defrosted), cheese, apples or pears or even peaches. Cottage cheese or dollops of ricotta. Chopped basil for flavor.
You mention beans, but I also like adding bean sprouts. They’re super high in protein and if you harvest mung bean sprouts early while their tails are short they taste sweet.
I also like sunflower seeds when the dressings are creamy. One trick is to grind seeds or nuts so that they cover all your salad ingredients with a nutty flavour.
And don’t forget fresh, chopped garlic in your salad … delicious!
My Atomic Salad Recipe:
Red Leaf Lettuce
Braggs Apple Cider Vinaigrette (use generously)
Common Basil (use generously.. thinking of switching to Tulsi Basil)
Artichoke Hearts
2 Tablespoons Hummus
Onions
Cucumber Slices or Whole Pickle
Tomatoes
Red Peppers
Turkey Breast
Broccoli Sprouts
Black Lava Salt
Hard Boiled Egg
Avocado
Shiitake Mushroom
Hi, there. It’s an interesting and informative article. While preparing salad, I sometimes add grilled chicken or fish to it. Protein is satisfactory and keeps you fuller for longer time. The salad tastes delicious as well.
Sardines Canned fish is one of the easiest, healthiest ways to get extra protein and omega-3 oils in your salad.
I like to add pickled vegetables of various sorts!
I couldn’t get past the “whole sardines with bones” no matter how hard I tried, so I was thrilled to find skinless and boneless sardines canned in water which I buy in bulk from Amazon. Problem solved! They don’t taste like chicken or tuna, but are their very own flavor and are now my go-to protein addition for summer salads along with basics of shredded carrots, celery, colored peppers and tomatoes when they are in season locally and none before their time.
I think some finely shredded cheese makes the salad more of a meal and rounds out the flavor of the dressing. I just put in a handful for a large salad bowl that would serve 4-5 people. Nobody even knows it’s in there but everyone always loves my salads.
Braised artichokes in oil and fresh herbs (usually mashed into an avocado based “dressing” with garlic, salt, and pepper).
Hemp seeds are also a nice addition to salads.
Freshly pressed lemon juice.
I also love fresh mint, it is very refreshing, especially with cucumbers.
It is amazing to see how a few ingredients can completely change the taste and texture of a salad! I usually eat a salad for lunch and it never tastes the same.
Yum! I will try these! Salads are great for summer!
I love using the seeds from a papaya I have just cut up. The seeds are nothing like the fruit, they have a nice peppery taste which pairs well in salads. Also, for a crunch, the Crunchmaster brand crackers are really good broken up and sprinkled on top. I’m sure other crunchy crackers would work too, but I like Crunchmaster.
Wow, I didn’t know you could eat papaya seeds. Thanks for the tip!