Meal Planning Staples : Salads

I love one bowl meals, and come spring/summer time that means lots and lots of salads. I hear people say all the time that salads are not real meals, or that they get hungry an hour after eating one. To that I say, you're doing salads wrong! Load them up with greens, protein, veg (and sometimes fruit), nuts, healthy fats, and a rad homemade dressing and it's so good and filling. And I'm not afraid to go big with salads; I've been known to prepare and eat them out of a big mixing bowl, no shame.

In lieu of the 7-day meal plans I've shared in the past, I put together a list of my go-to salad recipes, with the most frequently eaten salads at the top of the list. In most cases where lettuce is the base, I use romaine hearts. Romaine is the most nutritious of the basic salad greens in terms of vitamins, minerals, and water content, but if you really want to amp up the nutrition, choose spinach, kale, arugula, Napa cabbage, or a blend of greens. A quick note on dressings, since I've had people question why I'd bother taking the time to make my own: It's SO easy to make your own—just add everything to a small mason/jelly jar and give it a quick shake. The recipes below all give instructions for specific dressings, but my general guideline is acid + oil + sweetener + emulsifier: 1 part vinegar (or tart citrus) to 2 parts oil, with 1/2 teaspoon of sweetener (honey or maple syrup) and 1/2 teaspoon of an emulsifier (Dijon mustard or mayo) per 1/2 cup, salt and pepper to taste.

Favorite Salad Recipes

Balsamic Chicken Salad with Grapes: (Pictured above, right). My favorite salad, hands down. I do make a few changes to the original recipe, so I should really write up a separate blog post for it. But the Cliff's Notes version is that I make my own balsamic vinaigrette and sub Israeli/pearl couscous for the wheat berries.

Avocado Chickpea Lime Salad: (Pictured above, left). Really simple and refreshing salad. I wouldn't recommend omitting anything since each ingredient is necessary, but I do add toasted cashews and use feta instead of the Cotija cheese. Sometimes we toast the chickpeas to make them chewy/crunchy if we're feeling ambitious, but it's not entirely necessary.

Orzo Super Salad: This is probably technically a pasta salad and not a salad salad, but it is chocked full of spring vegetables. I've been making this one for years, pretty much exactly per the recipe, except for never having sprouts on hand.

Power Green Salad: The kale base of the salad makes it quite hardy, so it would transport well to a potluck or picnic, or hold up well in the fridge if you have any leftovers. I sometimes use toasted cashews instead of pepitas. Also, Trader Joe's pre-cooked lentils come in handy for this dish if you're crunched for time.

Fiesta Chicken Salad: I used to be obsessed with this salad at Chili's called the Quesadilla Explosion Salad. I haven't been to a Chili's in years, nor would it be my first choice of restaurants, but I was sort of thrilled to see How Sweet Eats re-create a version of this salad. I don't bother with the quesadillas (they're delicious, but unnecessary) and I add black beans and/or chopped red pepper if I have 'em. I'd recommend adding the chips right before serving so they don't get soggy (especially important if you have any leftover salad).

Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing: This one is good with edamame added, if you have it. Sometimes I use pre-cooked shrimp, and in that case I just melt the garlic/chili/butter together and toss/rub it on the thawed shrimp. 

Ginger Sesame Chicken Salad: I've tried a few different Thai-inspired salads, and this is the one I come back to. Feel free to add any veggies typically found in Asian recipes like strips of red pepper or shredded purple cabbage. The base works equally well with Napa Cabbage and romaine.

Greek Chicken Gyro Salad: This is a newer recipe find, and I use it mainly for the dressing (which was delish) and the "base salad" per the recipe. In addition to that, I add kalamata olives, halved cherry tomatoes, and diced cucumber. I really liked it with the pita chips as well.

Fattoush: This uses similar ingredients to the salad above, including leftover pita chips, so it's nice to make them in the same week to use up the veggies. I added kalamata olives again and some feta cheese. I don't have sumac in my spice cabinet, but I do have some za'atar that Mark brought me home from Israel and it worked perfectly in the dressing (since za'atar is a spice blend often containing sumac; however, I did leave out the dried parsley and mint from the recipe since za'atar had enough flavor on its own).

Side Salads 
I also wanted to include these two links because I really liked both the recipes, but they're not quite substantial enough to be a stand-alone meal.

Bacon & Brussel Sprouts Salad: You're basically making a dressing out of the bacon fat, so it's bound to be good. I add some chopped onion or shallots to the hot bacon grease before mixing in the other dressing ingredients. I think fresh diced apples would be a nice addition to the final salad to add some crispness. We served this alongside pan-seared fish, though I think it would also be good with rotisserie-style chicken.

Carrot & Sunflower Seed Salad: This is such a summery salad that I liked much more than I was expecting to. Just toast the nuts in a pan; no need to turn on the oven. It makes a good side salad for burgers, sandwiches or meat-and-veggie kebobs.

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Let me know if you have any favorite salad recipes and I'll give them a try!