5 ESSENTIALS FOR A GREAT SALAD
What makes a great salad? I think it’s the following:
First, it must be filling enough.
Second, it must contain as much healthy nutrients as possible (it’s a salad after all!).
Third, it must taste good (but without those sugar packed salad dressings).
So here are the 5 things that I consider when making or ordering a salad:
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Dark Greens
I usually try to add kale or spinach to my salad base for their great nutritional values. I’m also a big fan of mixing my greens. Try for example lettuce or rocket mixed with spinach.
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Plant-based Protein
As I don’t eat chicken (the usual suspect in salads) I choose beans, lentils or hummus for my salads to boost the protein content (see also next point on whole grains).
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Filling Fiber
Think about mixing different vegetables and whole grains. Sweet potato is one of my absolute favourites taste wise but I often have whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat or spelt too as they are a great source of protein, as well as fiber.
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Healthy fats
Sure, it means avocados but seeds are a great option too. My favourites are pumpkin seeds followed by sunflower seeds.
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Lean Dressing
I love salad dressings (yes, those ones packed with sugar) but I’m trying to keep them to minimum and favor healthier options such as olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Tahini based dressings are great too and Hummus can also be used as a healthier salad dressing.
Finally, if you are going ‘all in’, consider adding some herbs as well. They add great taste and are super nutritious too! And that to me would make a great salad overall.
Here are links to a couple of Antidote Kitchen salad recipes that pretty much tick all these boxes if you want to put this to test. Enjoy!