D is for Dinner Salads : An ABC Blogging Post

dinner-salad-ideas Yaayyy!!! It’s warming up outside! That means a desire to eat lighter healthier meals. Whether you grow your own or purchase salad fixings from the store they are in abundance, tastier and easier to get ahold of than a few months ago. The abudance of fresh fruits and veggies in the store also prompted my family to bless me with a new Breville Juicer (of Fat Sick and Nearly Dead fame) for Mother’s Day but that’s another story.

Today’s story is how to put a fresh filling dinner on the table for your family.

Salad is the perfect food for dinner. It is extremely versatile, and can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. Although when you think of salads you may think of rabbit food or diet food, nothing could be farther from the truth. A well put together salad can make a surprisingly hearty dinner, even for the hungriest person.

Grocery Bags with Food

Here are some dinner salad recipes that can fill anyone up and leave them completely satisfied.

Chicken Curry Salad A simple salad that can be made in minutes. Great for using leftover chicken.  Just add a few more ingredients and dinner is done.

Recipe

Cut up the cooked chicken (leftovers are fine). Stir some curry powder into several tablespoons of yogurt, add salt if necessary. Next gently stir the mixed sauce into the chopped chicken. Pour the mixture over a bowl of romaine lettuce and add a few tablespoons of walnuts and a handful of grapes to the top. Enjoy.

Original Recipe

 

Taco Dinner Salad A Taco dinner salad is also easy to make, and quite filling.

Recipe

Start by cooking 1 pound of ground beef, and drain off the fat. Into the ground beef, stir 1 cup of water, a 6-ounce can of tomato paste, and 1 package of taco mix. Continue heating on low for 20 minutes. Spread tortilla chips over a plate and sprinkle the ground beef mixture over the top. Add any desired toppings such as chopped onions, tomatoes, lettuce, black olives, grated cheese or sour cream.

Original Recipe

 

Greek Salad You may be a vegetarian, or just wanting a change from your regular meat-centered meal. No matter the reason, here is a salad that will tempt your taste buds and give you a change of flavor. This is heartier than your usual Greek salad, and is more than filling enough to be dinner’s main star.

Recipe

Chop lettuce and lay it over as many plates as you need for each person. Stir together 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp basil, and 1/2 tsp each of salt, oregano and black pepper.  Add feta cheese, diced cucumbers, diced red onions, sliced tomatoes, and black olives to the mixture. If you prefer some meat in your salad add some cooked chopped chicken or turkey and you’re ready to go!

Original Recipe

 

Smoked Salmon and Sunflower Salad Now doesn’t sound good? This is a great salad when you want something that’s a little fancier than usual. If you need to bulk it up and make it more filling, sprinkle chickpeas over the top along with the other ingredients.

Recipe

Stir 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar with the juice of 1 lemon, then mix in 3 tbsp olive oil, a little lemon zest and salt to taste. Stir some mixed greens with 1 tbsp of capers. Gently stir the prepared dressing into the greens and divide into separate serving plates. Next place several pieces of smoked salmon on each plate of salad mixings and sprinkle each serving with sunflower seeds and the remaining bit of lemon zest. Chickpeas may be added at this point too if you need more.

Original Recipe

This is just the tip of the iceberg. We haven’t even touched on Pasta Dinner Salads or Potato Salads. You’re only limited by your imagination. Dinner salads don’t need to be boring or leave you starving as soon as you leave the table. As the weather heats up make a plan to make one of these Dinner Salads and see how satisfied AND refreshed everyone will be at the end of their meal. Choose your favorite and make your next meal enjoyable and unique.

Ben and Me

Favorite Curriculum Choices

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One Comment

  1. Thank you for so many varieties of salad. We normally just have salad as side, but I may have to try out a few of your recipes.

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