I have to admit, when I am at home I don't put nearly as much effort into my lunches, than when I have to go to work! I'm not sure why, because these salads really take very little effort to prep and there are lots of ways you can make a delicious, satisfying lunch without agonising over it or by spending heaps of time cooking up fancy meals.
So here are my top tips for assembling delicious salads for your summer lunches.
🍅 Salads do NOT need to have lettuce!
Kick it up with brightly coloured grated beetroot, purple cabbage, orange capsicum or carrot. Add fruit like cut up orange, apple or pear.
🍅 Add fresh herbs
like parsley, mint, coriander or basil for different flavours.
🍅 Use toppings
Top with toasted nuts, seeds, sauerkraut, avocado oil, olive oil, aioli, hummus or guacamole.
🍅 Use lettuce as a wrap.
Same ingredients presented differently on the plate makes a completely different meal!
🍅 Add texture with sprouted peas, beans or lentils.
🍅 Use strong flavours
Crumble in feta or add grated parmesan, olives, pickles, sun-dried tomatoes or jalapeños for a spicy kick.
🍅 Add different protein sources
Different types of meat, fish or legumes will add different flavours and textures and make a similar style meal taste and feel completely different, increasing satisfaction 100 fold!
🍅 Add dressings
Dressings are easy to make, play around with different combos of oil, vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, garlic and spices.
🍅 Prep Once eat Twice
If you are prepping dinner, make extra for your lunch the next day.
🍅 Don't just eat lettuce
Lettuce on its own is very low calorie and will not sustain anyone, no matter how much of it you eat. Make sure your salads are bulked up with different veggies a source of protein and healthy fats. Again, dinner left overs are excellent here.
For protein foods try: beans, chicken, fish, tinned or smoked tuna, salmon, kahawai are excellent, meat, sprouted chickpeas or similar, tofu, eggs, cheese, hummus or dhal.
1 serve of protein is ideal.
1 serve of meat = the palm of your hand.
1 serve of beans = 3/4 to 1 cup.
For healthy fats try: a handful of nuts or seeds, toasted or raw, avocado, dressing made from nut oil, avocado oil or olive oil aioli, cheese.
🍅 Give it Flavour
Salads don't have to be boring!
Make your salads taste good by adding:
1. fruit for added sweetness
2. strong flavoured cheeses such as blue cheese, holloumi, smoked cheese, brie (etc!),
3. fresh herbs such as basil, mint, parlsey,
4. different dressings and oils such as yoghurt and mint dressing, aioli, balsamic vinegar,
5. strong flavoured veggies such as radish, spring onion, red onion, sauerkraut
6. strong flavoured protein sources such as smoked fish, bacon, or herbed chicken
🍅 Make it different!
Again, salads don't have to be boring! Make your salad different every day, so you don't get bored of it! There's only so much lettuce, tomato, cucumber combos we can eat before we want to throw it at a wall (or something!)
🍅 Make your salad colourful
Add different coloured fruit and veggies, to make it look bright and appealing. Aim for a rainbow or a colour theme, a green salad with kiwifruit or a brightly coloured salad with beetroot, radish, cherry tomatoes and greens