Healthy Salad Recipes: Delicious & Nutritious Meals

Salads are not meals! So, a foodie might say. However the fact is that salads are healthy inclusions in our meals, but they need not necessarily be restricted to those raw cucumbers, radishes, and tomatoes that could make them boring. You can transform them into tasty, yet healthy meals.For all those meat lovers out there: salads need not always be made of veggies alone. Fruits, whole grains, proteins, and several sea food can be included in a healthier way to be munched during your lunch and dinner, plus as your midday snack. Here are 10 such interesting healthy salad recipes.

Top 10 Healthy Salad Recipes

1. Cucumber, Radish, and Melon Salad:

A simple, tasty, and healthy salad, it offers you a delightful blend of veggies and fruits packed with the crunchiness of almonds. Flavored with walnut oil and honey, this salad easily blends with smoked meats, cold meats, and even poultry delicacies.

Ingredients:

1. Watermelon – 2 cups, cubed
2. Cucumber – ¼ cup, cubed
3. Almond flakes – 1 tbsp
4. Bean sprouts – 1/8 cup
5. Radish – ¼ cup, finely chopped
6. Spring onions – 2 tbsp, finely chopped
7. Salt – to taste
8. Olive oil – enough for frying
9. Watercress – enough for serving

Dressing:

1. Honey – 1 tsp
2. Walnut oil – 1 tbsp
3. Vinegar – ½ tbsp
4. Black pepper powder – to taste
5. Salt – to taste

Method:

1. Toss cucumber and melon cubes with a little salt, toss well, and transfer to a strainer to drain excess water.
2. Add a little olive oil to a pan and fry the almond flakes until golden.
3. Rinse bean sprouts, drain, and keep aside.
4. Rinse radish cubes, drain, and keep aside.
5. Rinse spring onions, wipe it dry, finely chop, and keep aside.
6. Place radish, sprouts, and onions in a mixing bowl and toss to mix well.
7. In a smaller mixing bowl, add the dressing ingredients. Using a wire whisk, mix until the ingredients blend well.
8. Pour the dressing over radish mixture.
9. In a serving plate, arrange, cleansed and trimmed watercress.
10. Add cucumber and melon to the mixing bowl, give a quick, gentle toss, and arrange it on the watercress.
11. Garnish with almond flakes.
12. Serve immediately.

2. Apple and Lettuce Salad with Melon Dressing:

Give your body a good dose of energy and meet its electrolytic needs with this green and healthy fruit salad.

Ingredients:

1. Cabbage – ½ cup, shredded
2. Carrot – ¼ cup, finely grated
3. Red capsicum – ¼ cup, cubed
4. Lettuce – 1 cup, torn
5. Apples – ½ cup, deseeded, peeled, cubed
6. Mixed sprouts – ½ cup
7. Grapes – 2 tbsp, finely chopped
8. Lemon juice – ½ tsp
9. Spring onion greens – 1 tbsp, chopped
10. Salt – to taste

Dressing:

1. Muskmelon – ½ cup, pureed
2. Cumin seeds – ½ tsp, roasted, crushed
3. Cilantro leaves – 3 tbsp, finely chopped
4. Black pepper powder – to taste
5. Salt – to taste

Method:

1. In a large bowl filled with ice cold water, add ingredients 1 to 4. Soak and keep aside for half an hour so that they turn crisp.
2. Drain well, wrap in a clean muslin cloth, and refrigerate until use.
3. In a small bowl, add cubed apples. Mix in lemon juice, toss well, and refrigerate until use.
4. Transfer the refrigerated items along with sprouts, spring onions, and grapes to a large mixing bowl.
5. Sprinkle salt and toss gently to ensure even mixing.
6. In a bowl, add the ingredients of the dressing. Using a wire whisk, mix the ingredients to blend well. Adjust the seasoning.
7. Pour the dressing over salad ingredients and toss gently, but thoroughly.
8. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

3. Easy Grilled Chicken Salad:

This salad easily makes a healthy main course. Serve it over baby spinach for a healthier and tastier salad.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken breasts – 4 [6 oz each], boneless, skinless, halved
2. Olive oil – 1 tbsp
3. Salt – to taste
4. Black peppercorns – 5, roasted, freshly ground
5. Celery – 1/3 cup, finely chopped
6. Sweet dried cranberries – 1/3 cup
7. Pecans – ¼ cup, chopped, toasted
8. Green onions – 3, thinly sliced

Dressing:

1. Light sour cream – 3 tbsp
2. Olive oil mayonnaise – 3 tbsp
3. Lemon juice – 2 tsp

Method:

1. Preheat your grill on medium to high temperature. [375 to 450 °F]
2. Using a basting brush, oil chicken breasts.
3. Season with salt and black pepper powder.
4. Arrange on the preheated grill and grill for 12 to 14 minutes, turning halfway through.
5. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.
6. Shred the grilled chicken breasts and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
7. Add celery, cranberries, and toasted pecan halves. Mix in green onions. Toss well and keep aside.
8. In a small mixing bowl, add all the dressing ingredients. Using a flat spoon, stir the ingredients to blend thoroughly.
9. Pour dressing over chicken mixture.
10. Toss gently, but thoroughly to ensure even coating.
11. On a serving bowl, arrange cleaned, trimmed spinach leaves.
12. Spoon in the salad on the spinach leaves and serve immediately.

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