Mouth Watering Salads That Will Prevent 'The Quarantine 15', and Satisfy Your Cravings

The other day someone sent me a schedule to help “Stay Sane during the Quarantine.” While most focus their energy on ‘sleep’ ‘creative projects’ or ‘relaxation’, my mind went directly to “I am SO excited to cook everyday.” While eating healthy shouldn’t be a pain in the ass,  it feels that much harder when you’re stuck inside of the house and those chips are just begging you to take a bite…. Stop that, it’s almost summer. No, we’re not against the treat yourself mentality, but we’ve put together a list of our favorite healthy lunches to help you stay tight (and disciplined) over the next few weeks.

Spring Sorghum Salad with Radish and Roasted Asparagus

via Naturally Ella

 Ingredients:

·  Radishes

·  Red spring onion

·  Parsley

·  Asparagus

·  Lettuce

·  Sorghum (or other favorite grain)

·  Feta cheese

·  Olive Oil

·  Lemon Juice

·  Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine radishes with spring onion, lemon juice, parsley and salt. Allow to sit while grilling asparagus.

2. Light grill and toss asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on the hot grill and cook until tender and lightly charring, turning as needed. Remove from grill and let cool slightly.

3. Chop grilled asparagus and toss with lettuce, sorghum, feta, and radish mixture. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice.

Lebanese Tabbouleh

via Feel Good Foodie

Ingredients:

·  Fine bulgur wheat

·  Garlic

·  Lemons

·  Parsley

·  Mint

·  Tomatoes

·  Scallions

·  Salt

·  Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

I like to start making the tabouleh by mixing the dressing. It’s made up of two ingredients: olive oil and lemon juice – easy enough! I whisk those together until well blended, and then let the flavor settle while I chop the vegetables.

One important tip I learned though from my mother-in-law is to add the bulgur to the dressing while preparing the vegetables. This allows the bulgur to absorb some of the liquid and soften – making it easier to chew it in the salad. I used to soak it in water, but I prefer this method because there’s no risk of watering down the flavor. You’ll slowly start to see the bulgur get more plump.

While the bulgur is soaking, prepare yourself for some mad chopping. Tabbouleh requires a lot of chopping – it’s really a labor of love. That includes a bunch (well technically 2 bunches) of parsley, tomatoes and green onions. Some people use a food processor to chop the parsley. But I find that it can sometimes lead to wilted chopped parsley. So I always use a large chef knife, and it does the trick.

When you’re done chopping, transfer the bulgur and dressing mixture over the chopped vegetables and gently mix everything together. And that’s basically the tabbouleh salad recipe! And it might be the best tabbouleh recipe you’ll ever have!

Sweet Potato Avocado Salad

via Ari’s Menu

Ingredients:

·  Sweet Potatoes

·  Avocado

·  Red onion

·  Jalapeno

·  Cilantro

·  Olive oil

·  Lime juice

·  Honey

·  Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line sweet potatoes out on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and season with a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Roast until tender, but not mushy, about 40 minutes. Let cool slightly.

2. In a large bowl, add cooked sweet potato, remaining tablespoon olive oil, avocado, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice and honey/agave. Toss together lightly to coat. Serve immediately. May be served warm or cold. Keep leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

Falafel Salad with Savory Pita Croutons

via Joyously Domestic

Ingredients:

·  Soft pita bread

·  Olive oil

·  Salt and pepper

·  Paprika

·  Falafel balls/fritters

·  Mixed salad greens of your choice

·  Tomato

·  Cucumber

·  Red onion

·  Hummus (garlic or roasted red pepper will make this salad even more bomb)

·  Water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut pita into small wedges. Lay out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika and sesame seeds. {Be sure oil is well-distributed onto wedges.} Bake for 5 - 7 minutes or until just barely beginning to crisp. Remove from oven. Set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare falafel according to package instructions. {Most store-bought falafel packages recommend roughly the same cooking temperature as needed for the pita croutons, so both can probably be baked at the same time.}

Once the pita croutons and falafel are ready, prepare the salad by laying down a bed of salad greens onto a large platter or into a large serving bowl.

Arrange tomato, cucumber, onion, pita croutons and falafel balls atop greens as desired.

For the dressing, whisk hummus with a splash of water. Add additional water until a salad dressing-like consistency is achieved. {Approximately two tablespoons worth.}

Serve salad immediately drizzled with hummus dressing at the time of service.

Lemon Herb Mediterranean Pasta Salad

via Cafe Delites

Ingredients:

·  Penne pasta

·  Romaine lettuce

·  Cucumber

·  Avocado

·  Red pepper

·  Cherry tomatoes

·  Red onion

·  Kalamata olives

·  Sun dried tomatoes

·  Feta Cheese

·  Favorite vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander or strainer, then rinse under cold water to take the heat out. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl.

While pasta is boiling, prepare your dressing. Whisk together all of the marinade/dressing ingredients in a large jug.

Add all of the salad ingredients into the salad bowl along with the pasta, and drizzle with the dressing. Toss all of the ingredients together until everything is coated evenly in dressing. Season with extra salt and pepper, if desired.

Serve immediately.

Candied Lemon, Peach, and Tomato Salad

via The Noshery

Ingredients:

·  Lemon

·  Mint Leaves

·  Sugar

·  Olive oil

·  Apple cider vinegar

·  Shallot

·  Garlic

·  Hot Sauce

·  Honey

·  Olive oil

·  Chives

·  Chili powder

·  Salt

·  Tomatoes

·  Peaches

·  Red Onion

·  Arugula

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°. Cook lemon slices in a medium saucepan of boiling water 2 minutes to remove bitterness. Drain and pat dry.

Gently toss lemon slices with mint, sugar, and 1 tablespoon oil in a medium bowl. Spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until lemons are no longer wet and only slightly colored, 15–20 minutes. Let cool.

In a small bowl combine apple cider vinegar, shallot, garlic, hot sauce, honey, olive oil, chives, chili powder, and salt. Whisk until well combined and emulsified, add more hot sauce to taste if desired. Set aside.

In a large shallow bowl combine tomato, peaches, red onions, arugula, and torn mint leaves. Top with candied lemon slices, drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with salt.

Sweet, Spicy & Salty Fruit Salad

via FMC

Ingredients:

·  Watermelon

·  Mango

·  Pineapple

·  Blueberries

·  Blackberries

·  Cucumber

·  Red bell pepper

·  Mint

·  Jalapeno

·  Oranges

·  Limes

·  Honey

·  Arrowroot

·  Salt

Directions:

Squeeze limes and oranges into a bowl and mix in honey.  Set a nonstick skillet on medium heat and when hot, pour in the sauce.  Bring it to a light simmer, then pour in the arrowroot starch mixed with water.  Stir immediately so the sauce does not clump and remove from the heat to let it cool and thicken, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Add all of the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl and mix everything together.

Pour in the sauce/syrup and gently fold the fruits and veggies in the sauce.

Season to taste with sea salt.

Spicy Carnitas Salad Bowl

via The Kitchn

Ingredients:

·  Mustard greens

·  Brussels sprouts 

·  Granny smith apply

·  Lemon juice

·  Pork carnitas

·  Avocado

·  Tortilla chips

·  Pumpkin seeds

·  Lime and cilantro dressing

Directions:

Place the mustard greens and Brussels sprouts in a large bowl and toss together. Place the apple slices and lemon juice in a medium bowl and toss together.

When ready to serve, divide the greens between 4 plates. Top each with a quarter of the apple slices, pork carnitas, avocado pickles, tortilla chips, and pepitas. Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.

Rainbow Bean Salad with Sweet and Sour Dressing

via The View From Great Island

Ingredients:

·  Black beans

·  Garbanzo beans

·  Kidney beans

·  White navy beans

·  Edamame beans

·  Red, orange and yellow bell peppers

·  Black olives

·  Red onion

·  Cherry tomatoes

·  Serrano or jalapeno pepper

·  Parsley

·  Olive oil

·  Sherry vinegar

·  Sugar

·  Celery seed

·  Dijon Mustard

·  Salt and pepper

Directions:

Make sure all your beans are drained and rinsed well to remove any 'canned' flavor. Place all the beans in a large bowl, along with the rest of the salad ingredients.

To make the dressing, blend the ingredients together with a stick blender or in a small food processor, until emulsified and creamy. Taste to adjust any of the seasonings.

Toss the salad in enough dressing to thoroughly moisten, you won't use all of it. Refrigerate until ready to serve, and then toss with more dressing.