Take Salads To A Whole New Level With These Great Ideas

If you do not learn to mix up your salad ideas, you will quickly find that salads can become very boring. After all, you do not just want a pile of greens on a dish when you are craving a tasty and healthy salad. You want something that looks great and you do not want to eat the same old salad all the time. So many different great items are available that can help you take your salads to a whole new level so you do not end up looking at a lonely bowl full of lettuce. Here are several great ideas that you can use for salads that are anything but boring.

Add Some Grilled Fish 

Are you a big fan of fish? If so, why not use it as a great ingredient for better salads. Many different types of grilled fish can be added to your salad for a healthy dish that looks and tastes amazing. One of the most popular types of fish to grill for a salad is salmon and salmon also offers you the benefit of omega 3 fatty acids, which are good for your health. Simply put some salad greens in a bowl, add some black bean salsa, sprinkle with pieces of grilled fish, then top with some fat free sour cream and you have a meal that is tasty and healthy.

Steak and Potato Dinner 

Maybe you have enjoyed having a good steak and potato dinner with a salad on the side. Why not take it to a new level and enjoy it all together as a salad. Take leftover red potatoes that have been oven roasted and some leftover grilled steak as well. Cut them up into pieces that are bite sized. Toss them together with black pepper and some fat free sour cream. Chill the mixture and then serve it on top of your greens for a great salad that is full of protein and flavor.

Pizza Salad

If you happen to love pizza but you do not like all the fat and calories that a pizza can contain, why not go with a nice pizza salad that gives you all the flavor that comes with a pizza without the calorie and fat disaster. You will need a nice bowl that includes all different types of greens. Use pizza toppings to top off your salad, such as sliced pepperoni, a small amount of shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese, some sliced onions, and even some sliced mushrooms and peppers if you like them. Top it all off with a light amount of low fat or fat free Italian dressing.

Fruit and Chicken Salad Recipe

Combining greens with fruit and chicken offers a well-rounded meal that definitely takes your salad to a new level.
Ingredients:

• 1 cup of mixed salad greens
• ½ cup of grilled chicken chopped
• ¼ cup of sliced strawberries
• ¼ cup fresh red grapes, sliced in half
• ½ tangelo peeled and pulled into sections
• 1/8 cup Monterey Jack cheese
• Raspberry vinaigrette

Put greens on a plate or in a bowl. Top with grilled chicken. Sprinkle fruits on top of salad. Top with cheese. Use a small amount of raspberry vinaigrette.

Not only are green salads a great mealtime choice, but chicken salad recipes are also wonderful and healthy choices. You may even want a good chicken parmesan recipe now and then that you can serve up for an elegant and tasty dinner.

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Mexican Salads Made Easy

After a long day of work, the last thing you want to do is slave over the stove for hours to serve a delicious meal, never the less a delicious and healthy meals. Most people are seeking quick and easy meals to prepare in a short amount of time after a long day of work. Salads are a great healthy meal that can be made in a pinch.

You can easily make a salad by tossing together lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions topped with your favorite salad dressing. Bacon and almonds make great salad toppers. If you would like to add a Mexican flare to your typical house salad, try adding sliced avocado, olives, peppers, black beans, and corn to your salad topped with homemade salsa. No matter what you have in your refrigerator, chances are, you can throw together a salad with whatever is on hand.

Roasted Beet And Jicama Salad With Jalapeno Dressing

This is a very easy recipe that anyone can prepare. This recipe will give you bragging rights for the wonderfully flavored salad dressing. The pairing of jicama and beets goes great alongside the jalapeno and peanut salad dressing. If you are in a rush, this recipe can be made in advance and can be refrigerated up to a day ahead. If making ahead, you can serve this salad chilled.

If you love south of the border flavors and feel like kicking this recipe up a notch, try substituting a Serrano pepper for the jalapeno pepper or add 2 peppers to really make this recipe hot and spicy.

What You Need:

• 1 pound small beets
• 1 medium white onion
• ½ cup zesty Italian salad dressing
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 medium jicama
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 lime

How To Make It:

Cut onion and lime into wedges. Stem the jalapeno. Peel jicama and cut into 2-inch sticks.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Gently wash beets and pat dry. Pierce beets in several places with a fork.
Place beets and onions in center of a large sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle beets and onions with 2 tablespoons of salad dressing. Bring up foil sides, double fold top and bring both ends up to seal foil packet. Be sure to leave room inside foil packet so that heat can circulate.

Place on 15x10 baking pan. Bake 45 minutes or until beets are tender. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Cut slit into foil packet to release steam before opening the packet. Let beets stand in foil until cooled.

To peel beets, gently rub skins with cloth or paper towel until all of the skins are removed. Cut the beets into wedges and set aside.

In a blender, combine jalapeno pepper, remaining salad dressing, ¼ cup of peanuts and lime juice. Cover and blend until smooth. Set this mixture aside.

Arrange jicama on a serving platter. Top with beets and onion mixture. Drizzle with salad dressing mixture. Sprinkle cilantro and remaining chopped peanuts on top of salad.

Serve garnished with lime wedges.

If you enjoy using fresh produce in your everyday cooking but have not mastered homemade salsa, try one of many salsa recipe which are very simple to make. A great salsa is just one component of most great Mexican food.

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Two Great Mexican Salad Recipes: Simple and Easy

Salads are an easy dinner option to prepare by itself or alongside an entree. Not only are they easy to make, they also offer a tasty and flavorful alternative to a whole meal. Times have evolved and salads are not just thought of as a side dish. Instead, many people have turned to them for their entire meal since they can provide all of the nutrients needed in a whole meal in one simple dish.

Southwest Layered Salad

This is a very quick and easy salad recipe that anyone can make. The salad features your basic salad ingredients paired with black beans, corn, and salsa. These ingredients are not expensive and can be found at any grocery store. Chances are, you might have some of these ingredients on hand which makes it even more convenient. This recipe serves 4 people with 1 ½ cups of salad per each serving.

If you are looking to make this salad more filling, you can always add in grilled chicken. If you do not like black beans, any bean can be substituted in its place. Also, if you prefer to make this meal even healthier, feel free to use low fat cheese crumbles and low fat salad dressing. Baked tortilla chips can also be used in place of regular tortilla chips.

What You Need:

• 6 cups torn romaine lettuce
• 1 15-ounce can of rinsed black beans
• 1 11-ounce can of drained whole kernel corn
• ½ cup store bought salsa
• ½ cheese crumbles
• ½ cup ranch dressing
• 1 cup broken tortilla chips

How To Make It:

Place lettuce on the bottom of a serving platter. Top with black beans, corn, salsa and cheese crumbles by layering each ingredient.
Drizzle the salad dressing on top of the salad. Top the salad with broken tortilla chips.

Mexican Bean Salad

This recipe takes the term salad to the next level. Unlike traditional salads, this one does not feature the use of lettuce. Instead, beans, corn, tomatoes, and peppers help create the aromatic dish that is bound to make you ask for seconds. This recipe is easy to prepare and will serve 6 to 8 people.
This dish is great paired with meat and warm tortillas. This recipe makes a great summery dish that is light and flavorful. If you do not like black beans, pinto beans can be substituted instead. Also, pintos or kidney beans can be substituted for garbanzo beans. If you are crunched for time, canned tomatoes can be used instead of fresh tomatoes.

What You Need:

• 1 15-ounce can of rinsed and drained black beans
• 1 15-ounce can of drained garbanzo beans
• 3 cups frozen corn kernels
• ½ diced onion
• 2 seeded and minced jalapeno peppers
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• ½ cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 diced roma tomato
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• ½ teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• salt to taste

How You Make It::

In a large bowl, combine black beans, garbanzo beans, corn, onion, jalapenos, red bell pepper, cilantro, tomato, olive oil, lime juice, honey, pepper, and salt. Mix well. Allow to sit 1 hour before serving.

Salads make great side dishes to almost any entree, including authentic Mexican food. If you are a fan of South of the Border flavors, homemade salsa is also quick and easy to make. Lucky for you, there are numerous salsa recipe to choose from.

MexicanFoodRecipes.org When it has to be Real Authentic Mexican Food

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=KC_Kudra