When we hear the word "salad," the first associations that come to mind are of healthy and delicious foods that may be implemented in your diet. It doesn't take long to cook salad, and all the ingredients in this meal are properly balanced and create a nice flavor. Sometimes, salad can be the main dish on the table, but sometimes people cook it as the main and only dish. For example, a warm salad with pasta, tuna, and light Italian dressing is perfect for dinner. Chicken salad may be the #1 option for those who want to stay in shape and have a balanced meal.
There are also high-calorie salads with mayo, ham, fatty cheese, and other high-volume ingredients. We may see them on the table during holidays. Still, it may not be the best choice for weight maintenance. Once you create a weight maintenance plan for yourself, it's better to get low-calorie recipes with light dressing and lots of vegetables. If you want to find out more about salad recipes, keep up with this article. We will show you what high-quality meals look like.
Green Salads—Great Side Dishes
If we consider salad a side meal, it's good to make it light and full of vitamins. Green salads, especially ones with avocados and cucumbers, will give you lots of fiber and healthy elements. For example, avocado is a source of vitamins E, C, and K, as well as B6. Avocados combined with olive oil, lettuce, and fetta cheese make a nice salad. You can serve it with chicken and rice, pasta and meat sauce, or other dishes that should be balanced with green vegetables.
What makes a nice green salad? Here are key points to consider:
Make sure the vegetables are fresh and well-washed.
Use low-calorie dressing to balance the flavor and make all the ingredients taste good.
Add salt to boost the flavor even more.
Warm Salads: Meals that Make the Difference
As we said at the beginning, warm salads differ from other meals in this category, as they can replace a whole meal and taste good after being in the fridge for 1-2 days. Pasta salad with canned fish, Salads with chicken or red meat, salmon salad, red onions, green vegetables, and red bell pepper. The idea behind cooking warm salads is to combine high-volume ingredients (meat and fish) with vegetables, balancing it with dressing to make delicious, healthy dishes. Of course, if you take mayo as a dressing and add too much of it, it won't be a good idea. However, if you use low-calorie dressing or make it yourself, it will be better.
Let's take classic chicken salad as an example. Everyone has different preferences about how to make this dish, especially the ways to cook chicken. Some prefer grilled chicken; others want it to be boiled, so it's soft and smooth. Another questionable point is about the sauce. Since it's mayonnaise, some prefer to make it themselves; others will get a low-calorie version in the grocery store. There's also Dijon mustard on the list of ingredients, as it balances the whole meal and makes the flavor even better. What about other ingredients? There are plenty of options to use people add:
Celery
Red onion
Almonds
Grapes
Optionally, people add cooked pasta to the salad to create balance with the meat and make it a larger meal. Still, if you do so, you have to add more sauce to the whole meal. Such a salad can be a perfect post-workout meal. Just make sure you have enough grams of protein from the chicken, and you've got fresh vegetables to balance the meat taste.
Taco Salad: Something Unusual on Your Table
Have you eaten tacos before? Do you remember how tasty it is? Now imagine having a salad with the same ingredients. This version of taco has chips instead of lettuce and brings a better taste, as juicy vegetables are combined with properly cooked ground beef, and creamy sauce boosts the taste even more. The original salsa sauce adds a bit of spiciness, but you can boost the meal by adding garlic dressing made of sour cream, mayonnaise, onion powder, and some oil for texture. Sour cream can be replaced with Greek yoghurt, but it won't make a big difference. Make sure the veggies are fresh to get a better taste, so you will feel the flavor for 100%.
What Makes a Great Salad?
There is no single salad recipe that could be claimed to be perfect. Usually, everyone has their own preferences based on the season, time of the day, purpose, etc. Still, if you want to have a balanced salad for your meal, you should consider the following points:
Add vegetables for fiber and minerals.
Choose a low-calorie dressing. It won't make the meal heavy or level the taste of vegetables.
Measure your ingredients, so you'll have a balanced meal.
If you want to have a variety of salads on your menu but don't have the opportunity to cook them yourself, consider ordering them. We offer a wide range of salads with different tastes and hundreds of ingredients. Fresh salads with tomatoes, spinach, and feta, or warm salads with salmon and avocado, pasta and chicken, and other combos that deliver a great taste. Want a Greek salad? You can have it! Just make an order, and our chefs will cook it, and couriers will deliver it right on time.
FAQ
What are the 5 major types of salads?
Green salads, warm salads, vegetable salads, mixed salads with warm and cool ingredients, and fruit salads are considered as the 5 main types of salads.
What salad can be considered unhealthy?
Caesar salad may be considered unhealthy because of its high-calorie dressing made of mayonnaise, cheese, salt, and oil.
What ingredients should be in salads during the weight loss diet?
If you cook salads during weight loss, avoid high-calorie ingredients like crackers or chips. Also, stay away from heavy sauces and dressings.
