Why are you eating salad? Are you on a diet? Are you vegetarian? Are you trying to be healthy?
No, not necessarily. Just because I like eating salad doesn’t mean any of the things above! And the fact that salad happens to be healthy is simply an added bonus! Si if you like salad too, here are 7 ways to spice up your salad:
I absolutely love salad, I have it as a side with almost all my meals and sometimes I even like having it as my main meal!
Perhaps I like salad so much, because I have grown up with having it all the time! Now I feel like it always needs to be part of my dinners in the evening.
I think the main reason why so many people object to salad is because they just think of it as being healthy and boring. But salad does not have to be boring!!!
Of course, having a few pieces of lettuce isn’t very satisfying, so that´s why you have to add loads of things to it!
A delicious side salad would go well with some of my other recipes, for example my healthy wrap pizza or my quinoa stuffed peppers.
*Remember* If you are trying to eat healthily for weight loss, be aware that the more components you add to this salad, the more calorific it will become. Just remember to stick to the right portion sizes!
So, what can I add to spice up my salad?
The answer to that question is: Anything is possible! There are sooooo many things you can add to spice up your salad! So let’s take a look at a few:
1) Throw in more “greens” – Adding some extra crunch!
As well as using different types of lettuce (eisberg, rocket, round leaf, etc.) you could add other vegetables to your salad. Adding some more greens will add some more texture to your salad, peppers and carrots can give it more of a crunch, chopped avocado can make it more creamy and the juice from tomatoes can add to your dressing… Tomatoes are an absolute must for me – I love them!
Here are a few of the many options available:
- tomatoes
- peppers
- avocado
- radishes
- carrots
- cucumber
- corn
- baby spinach leaves
- spring onions
- olives
- beetroot
- etc…
2) Meat, Fish and Eggs – Adding some extra protein.
Simply fry some chicken strips, roast some duck breast or use a steak leftover from a BBQ. The meat or fish you add can be cold or warm, both tastes great. Leftovers from a Sunday roast are perfect for mixing into a salad the next day.
With the meat and fish, again, the possibilities seem endless:
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Steak
- Duck breast (one of my favourites)
- bacon
- Salmon
- Tuna
- prawns
- sardines
- egg
- Etc…
3) Seeds
Another thing you could add to your salad are seeds. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds are my favourites, but there are many other possibilities:
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Pine kernels (they are especially nice when toasted)
- Walnuts
- Etc…
4) Herbs
Herbs are a great addition to any salad – they can really elevate the taste! Why not try and chop some of these into your next salad:
- basil
- chives
- parsley
- mint
- coriander
5) Cheese
You can also add a variety of different cheeses to your salad. Why not give some of the following a try?
- Mozzarella cheese
- Feta cheese
- Blue cheese
- Cottage cheese
- Cheddar or gouda, cut into small squares
- Etc…
6) Carbs – Turning your salad into a meal.
Here are a bunch of other things you could add to make your salad more exciting and turn it into a main meal, rather than just a side dish.
Also, it’s the perfect way to use leftover pasta, quinoa or couscous from the night before!
- Croutons
- Garlic bread
- Potato röstis/hash browns
- Couscous
- Quinoa
- Pasta
- Homemade (sweet) potato wedges/chips
7) Adding the right dressing!
Although there are plenty of shop-bought dressings available, I also love keeping it simple and making my own.
You can make a great dressing using a mixture of different things you can find in your store-cupboard. For me, just using some salt, pepper, white vinegar and some lemon juice are the perfect combination for a quick, light and easy salad dressing.
Here are a few other things you could use:
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
- White vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Mustard
- Lemon juice
- Lime juice
- mayonnaise
So – there we have it! 7 ways to spice up your salad. Say good-bye to the boring bits of lettuce at the side of your plate and you refuse to touch!
