Easy ways of including more salads in your daily meals

Including salads in your family meals does not have to be a stressful process. You may think preparing salads will make you spend more time in the kitchen, but this is not really true.

The reality is that salads are easy dishes to prepare. Besides, it is the simplest way of including nutrients and beneficial components in your diet.

Instead of being a time-consuming process, with a balanced combination of ingredients, salads become a complete meal, so you won’t need to prepare anything else but salads.

Types of salads you should try  

Salads consist of mixed natural ingredients dressed and served at room temperature, warm or chilled.

You can enjoy salads as entrees, appetizers, side dishes, fillings, and desserts.

Salad combinations are countless. You can combine raw with cooked vegetables, meats and vegetables, grains and pulses, and all in a single dish. The dressing is also varied. They are used to enhance these ingredients’ flavors, so the type of dressing depends on the salad’s components.

The wide variety of salads is classified as follows:

• Green salads: They are made of leafy raw vegetables. This salad may include all sorts of lettuces, endives, escarole, garden cress, watercress, cabbage, spinach, romaine, and arugula. The green vegetables are combined with other raw or cooked vegetables like onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, peppers, and carrots. The dressings for these salads are simple and may have oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Some green salads are Cobb salad, Nicoise salad, escarole salad, little gem salad with lemon Bibb lettuce, vinegar-roasted Beets with lettuce, and grilled asparagus salad.

• Starchy (pasta, grains, and legume) salads: These salads are served as hot or cold side dishes. Their base is cooked starches like rice, grains, pasta, and beans mixed with vegetables and proteins. Go to https://riceselect.com/recipe/bangkok-rice-shrimp-salad to see a recipe for an exquisite starchy salad made of rice. Other delightful recipes are crispy rice salad, lentils salad, couscous salad, Mediterranean salad, and much more.
• Vegetable salads: They are a mixture of cooked or raw vegetables seasoned with rich marinate or sauces. Common components of vegetable salads include tomatoes, beets, mushrooms, green beans, cucumbers, carrots, and cols, among other vegetables. Dressings are more tasteful and similar to light sauces. Tomatoes and cucumber salad, avocado cucumber salad, and cabbage and carrots salad are delicious examples of this kind of dish.
• Mixed salads: They are a combination of green, vegetable, and starchy preparations. They may also include proteins like eggs, meat, poultry, pork, fish, and seafood. They work perfectly as complete meals for light dinners. The dressings used are light not to overshadow the other ingredients. Some recipes for this type of salad are Cesar salad with chicken, antipasto salad with bocconcini and green-olive tapenade, and baked salmon with spinach.
• Fruit salad: These dishes work as snacks or desserts after copious meals. They can also serve as side dishes in fish or poultry preparations. They may contain only fruits or fruits are mixed with green salads, vegetables, and proteins. Some fruit salads are Piña colada salad, cucumber with watermelon, Mojito salad, and honey lime rainbow fruits, among others.

Trying more salads  

Salads are not only easy to prepare but very healthy too. There is no excuse for not including them in your daily meals. They are a great option to eat more vegetables and diversify your foods.

Once you eat them, you will continue looking for more recipes and creative ideas to include in your family meals.

Try the following easy recipe to start this journey.

Tossed green salad  

 Ingredients: 

For the dressing:

• ¼ cup of Dijon mustard.
• ¼ cup of honey.
• ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar.
• 1 teaspoon of salt.
• ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.
• ¼ cup of olive oil.

For the salad:

• 5 cups loosely packed mixed greens.
• 2 tablespoons of shelled sunflower seeds.
• ¼ cup of crumbled bacon.
• ¼ sliced red onion.
• 1 sliced cucumber.

 Preparation: 

1. Prepare the dressing by mixing Dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, black pepper, and olive oil in a bowl.
2. In a big bowl, combine mixed greens, sunflower seeds, crumbled bacon, red onions, and cucumbers.
3. Refrigerate until serving.
4. Serve with the dressing all over the salad and stir very well.