Transform a Salad into a Full Meal

It's our favorite meal of the week

We have a dinner salad at least once a week, sometimes twice. My husband is a welder/fabricator, and spends the whole day physically active, so he needs a lot of calories. You wouldn’t think a salad could do it…

But our salads do.

We don’t use every one of these components every time, but we use a lot of them. So I’ll share them here in case you can get some ideas you hadn’t thought of before.

Components for hearty, filling salads

The greens are our obvious starting point. The wider the variety, the better for our health. We use all the different types of lettuces, arugula, kale, baby spinach, beet greens, Swiss Chard, mizen, bok choy, tatsoi, tango. If you buy a “spring mix” there are a ton of different varieties in there. (Always re-wash, even if they’re pre-washed.)

To prep them, I wash, then gather them into a tight bundle and give them a rough chop. Some might prefer larger leaves in their salad. We find slightly chopped leaves hold the dressing better.

Fresh Tomatoes, diced: I know this is another obvious one, but I can’t exactly leave it out. Wash a ripe tomato and give it a dice. Some prefer slices. Either way is cool.

Cherry Tomatoes, halved: Wash and half them for easier eating.

Raw celery, diced: There’s nothing like the crunch of little celery bits. I wash them well, using a veggie brush down their centers, and cut them small.

Red, green, orange, or yellow bell peppers: Remove stickers, wash well, core and dice.

Hot Peppers, finely chopped: Any kind you like, wash, chop as finely as possible.

Cooked sweet potato: I always peel a large sweet potato, dice it, and steam it. It only takes a few minutes to achieve the perfect tenderness. Rinse immediately under cold water or they will continue cooking from their own heat, even after you drain them.

Chick peas: These I drain, rinse, and add. Or, when I’m feeling ambitious, I roll them in a Cajun seasoning blend and bake them on a cookie sheet for a few minutes. You can cook them to any texture you like, the longer you bake, the firmer they’ll be. You can even get them crispy.

Sweet corn, from frozen: Cook a little less than the package directions, cool and scatter over salad.

Sweet corn, from fresh: Steam on the cob for 7 minutes or so, then remove and plunged into cold water, refreshing the water until the corn is cool. Holding the corn upright by its narrow end, use a very sharp knife to slice the kernels from the cob, top to bottom all the way around.

Sweet peas, from frozen: Cook a little less than the package directions, cool and scatter over salad.

Sweet peas, from fresh: Shell the raw peas. You can scatter them on the salad raw, they are so sweet that way! Or you can steam them a little and then cool and add.

Sweet onions, sliced: I like the red ones in particular. I peel around the middle and cut them in half, so I can wrap what I don’t use, and their own skin helps keep them moist and fresh. Then I slice along the cut half as thin as I possibly can. I like them paper-thin. I usually lay them around on the top to make the salad pretty.

Diced beets, canned: I have fallen in love with canned beets. Hubby likes them sliced in his lunchbox, eats them cold. I like the diced for salads. Just drain, rinse away some of the sodium, and use.

Carrots, shredded, thinly sliced, or diced: I like the thinly sliced carrots, so thin I can see through them. But if you like their crunch, you can slice or dice them. They also make a salad more visually vivid when shredded and mixed in.

Broccoli and/or Cauliflower: Rinse and break into tiny florets. A little goes a long way.

Mushrooms, raw, sliced or diced: I always peel and stem them. The red worms love mushroom skins.

Mushrooms, cooked: I peel, chop, and cook in a hot pan, with a lid for the first little while to get the juices going. Cook until tender to your liking. For this I use buttons and shiitakes.

Mushrooms, marinated: For this I use portobellos. I make the same marinade recipe as for the tofu, and soak my peeled, sliced portobellos in it for 24 hours. Then I cook in a hot skillet until tender, flipping frequently. When the marinade gets sticky, add a little broth or water. (1/3 cup vegan worcestershire sauce, 1/3 cup tamari, 1/3 cup balsamic, a dash of liquid smoke. Add a tablespoon of maple syrup if you like.)

Olives, black or green, canned or jarred: They even have them pre-sliced.

Tofu Bites: I make a marinade of equal parts vegan Worcestershire sauce, reduced sodium tamari, and balsamic vinegar, with a half teaspoon or so of liquid smoke. I soak my diced, extra-firm tofu in this at least a full 24 hours and often a a little longer. Then scoop out the tofu using a slotted spoon to leave the juice behind, and spread them on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper. Pop into a 400º oven for 8-10 minutes. When I take them out, I spoon a little more of the marinade over them, then cover tightly in tinfoil until they’ll be served. (people who don’t like tofu generally aren’t cooking it enough. You don’t want it raw and slimy, you want it firm.)

Garlic rice: Put a cup of brown rice and two cups of veggie broth or water into a rice cooker (or a pot if doing it stovetop.) Add a tablespoon of garlic, a teaspoon of tamari, a dash of lime juice, a teaspoon of onion powder, and cook as you normally cook rice. In cooker until it’s done, on stovetop until the liquid is gone.

Fruits, nuts, & seeds

There’s nothing like a little fruit to make a salad extra special, but don’t overdo it. One or two of these per salad.

Limit yourself to one or two fruits, one nut, one seed.

Diced apples: Wash, core, and slice or dice an apple. Try to do this just before serving as they brown quickly. To prevent browning, try dipping each piece in salted water.

Halved grapes: Wash and halve red or green grapes and add to salad.

Fresh strawberries, sliced: Wash and slice thin.

Raisins: Self-explanatory.

Sesame or Chia seeds: Scatter on top.

Walnut pieces or slivered almonds: Scatter on top. Be easy with the nuts and seeds as they are high in fat.

Eat Meati Brand Mycelium Steaks or Cutlets: I season these up and cook in a hot skillet 2 minutes, then flip, 2 minutes, then flip, until you hit 8-10 minutes. That’s from frozen. Then slice or dice and use as an extra bonus on the salad. (I add pepper and some poultry seasoning on the cutlets, steak seasoning on the steaks.)

My favorite dressing is a fine aged balsamic. True aged balsamic is sweet and almost as thick as balsamic glaze. I’d found an affordable brand, Sclafani but I’m told they will no longer make it. So I bought every bottle I found left on shelves, and when they’re gone I guess I’ll cook thin balsamic vinegar down to a glaze or buy balsamic glaze for my salads.

But for a some great dressing recipes, check this collection of sauces and dressings at Forks Over Knives.

I also love the collection in the Engine 2 Cookbook by Rip Esselsyn.

There are more possibilities!

These are just the ones I use on a regular basis. Again, not all at once, but still, these a filling, substantial salads that are complete dinners, and you can pack in your protein, your fiber, and a heaping pile of those essential leafy greens.

NOTE: There’s now a “Paid Subscriber Perks” section at the top of the page to make it easier for you angels to find your goodies. I’ll add more as we go along and when I finally get a cookbook together it’ll be free to you.

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THRILLING ROMANTIC SUSPENSE!