Salads can make substantial and satisfying main dishes. And with time at a premium for most weeknight cooks, they’re a great, fast solution to the what-to-serve-for-dinner dilemma. You can whip up a terrific, healthful, alluring and innovative combination–full of texture and a tempting variety of colors and flavors in no time flat–and often without any cooking at all.
Main-dish salads can be as substantial and filling as any entree, particularly if they contain a cornucopia of protein, assorted vegetables and greens, fruits or even starches such as potatoes or pasta. Even better, there are no restrictions or hard and fast rules. Cooks are limited only by their imagination and image of what makes a glorious meal.
Also, most entree salads don’t require elaborate preparation, can be assembled at the last minute and pulled together with plenty of choices of prepared, store-bought salad-friendly convenience items, such as cooked chicken or shrimp or roast beef, numerous combinations of prewashed and cut-up bagged greens, spinach or cabbage, cleaned and cut-up bagged veggies (carrots, broccoli, etc.) or fruits, cut-up or shredded cheeses, cooked canned beans or corn, jarred artichoke hearts, store-bought guacamole, salsas, bottled dressings and more.
If you keep your pantry and fridge stocked with items such as tuna, capers, fresh herbs, kalamata olives, feta cheese, shredded cheese, marinated mushrooms, hard-cooked eggs, assorted leafy greens and lettuce mixtures, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, green peppers, green onions and an array of vinegars, olive oils, mustards and prepared dressings and greens, you can turn out an interesting and colorful creation. Just pick whatever strikes your fancy and toss everything together in a bowl with any dressing you choose. Make your own vinaigrette with olive oil, red or white wine or a little balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and a sprinkling of favorite herbs.
The next time you prepare an entree, consider cooking extra meat, fish, seafood or poultry so you have leftovers on hand to whip up an innovative salad within the next night or two.
When selecting greens, the choices these days are mind-boggling. Select from Boston, iceberg, bibb, romaine or red leaf lettuces, curly endive, escarole, radicchio, arugula, watercress, spinach, cabbage and more. Your local farmers market may offer other novel options. Be sure the greens are fresh–avoid those that are limp and bruised. Store unrinsed greens in plastic bags in the refrigerator until needed. Rinse in plenty of cold water when ready to use, then blot dry to remove excess moisture. Plan to use all lettuces within a few days of buying. Romaine and iceberg are the exceptions as they will usually keep a week in the fridge.
Use a variety of greens for complementary textures, flavors and colors, and perk up salads with fresh herbs. Experts advise tearing rather than cutting greens into bite-size pieces. Dress salads just before serving with only enough dressing to coat the leaves lightly, not drown them.
Here’s a rundown of some spontaneous salad ideas to toss together when the weather sizzles. You’ll probably think of many more.
– Arrange cut-up fresh fruits on assorted greens and top with slices of grilled chicken. Pass a curried fruit dressing or sour cream mixed with orange juice concentrate and a few poppy seeds.
– Combine leftover rice with chopped onion, chopped red and green peppers, green onions, diced cooked chicken or turkey, garlic pepper, raisins and chopped dried apricots and toss with a store-bought lemon vinaigrette or curry dressing. If you like, add a sprinkling of chopped fresh or powdered ginger. Serve over assorted baby greens.
– Toss diced cooked chicken with cooked elbow macaroni and peas, chopped green onions, pickle relish or chopped dill pickles, low-fat plain yogurt, shredded Cheddar cheese and seasoned salt and pepper to taste. Serve over bite-size greens.
– Mix store-bought pesto with cut-up cooked turkey breast, chopped tomatoes, chopped green onions, sliced water chestnuts and a few tablespoons sour cream. Serve over shredded bibb lettuce and pass extra pesto.
– For an easy rendition of a tostada salad, heat leftover chili on an individual dinner plate in the microwave oven until hot. Then top with a mound of shredded iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese of your choice, chopped tomatoes and sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Pass Italian or cilantro dressing, if desired.
– A pizza salad in a bowl goes together fast with torn romaine lettuce, pizza shells torn or cut into bite-size pieces, a few tablespoons chopped fresh basil, Italian or French dressing, chopped salami or pepperoni and shredded mozzarella cheese.
– If you keep a jar of roasted red peppers on hand and pick up already cooked chicken breast strips at the supermarket, you can combine them with pimiento-stuffed green olive pieces, drained capers, ketchup, red wine vinegar, several tablespoons chopped fresh basil, a dash of sugar, salt and pepper for a wonderful salad to serve on shredded lettuce.
– Diced cooked chicken breast also combines well with a diced cucumber, chopped red onion, chopped dill pickles, chopped celery, whole-grain and Dijon mustards, red wine vinegar, garlic, oil and salt and pepper for a fabulous salad ideal to serve over assorted greens.
SALAD WITH BEEF, PEAR AND WALNUTS
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
3 cups cooked tender beef steak strips, see note
1 package (10 ounces) mixed salad greens
1 firm, ripe pear, cored, cut into 12 wedges
1/4 cup each: crumbled blue cheese, coarsely chopped toasted walnuts, prepared balsamic or other vinaigrette
Combine steak, greens, pear, cheese and walnuts in large bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette; toss gently to coat.
Note: Strips of ready-to-serve deli roast beef can be substituted for beef steak strips.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 295 Fat ……….. 14 g Saturated fat … 4.6 g
% calories from fat .. 42 Cholesterol .. 85 mg Sodium ……… 195 mg
Carbohydrates …… 12 g Protein ……. 31 g Fiber ……….. 2.6 g
SHRIMP AND RICE SALAD WITH ORANGE-TARRAGON DRESSING
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Salad:
12 ounces cooked, shelled, deveined shrimp
2 cups each: cooked brown rice, torn romaine lettuce leaves
1 1/2 cups orange sections
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 red onion, sliced
Orange tarragon dressing:
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice from concentrate
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper or to taste
Combine all salad ingredients in large serving bowl. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in small bowl. Toss salad and dressing just before serving.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 255 Fat …………. 5 g Saturated fat .. 0.9 g
% calories from fat .. 18 Cholesterol .. 120 mg Sodium …….. 440 mg
Carbohydrates …… 36 g Protein …….. 17 g Fiber ………. 4.5 g
WHITE BEANS WITH TUNA
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Chilling time: 1-24 hours
Yield: 2 servings
Adapted from “Better Homes and Gardens Fresh and Simple Quick-Toss Salad Meals.”
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini or navy beans, rinsed, drained
4 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup bottled creamy salad dressing, such as ranch, garlic, Parmesan, honey Dijon or Italian
1 can (6 1/2 ounces) chunk white tuna, drained
1/2 head Boston or bibb lettuce, separated into leaves
1 medium red bell pepper seeded, cut into 6 strips
2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill
1. Stir together beans, celery, onion and salad dressing. Stir in tuna. Cover; chill 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
2. To serve, line 2 plates with lettuce. Divide pepper strips between lettuce-lined plates. Spoon bean mixture over pepper strips. Sprinkle with dill.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 550 Fat ……….. 19 g Saturated fat .. 3.3 g
% calories from fat .. 31 Cholesterol .. 55 mg Sodium …… 1,575 mg
Carbohydrates …… 55 g Protein ……. 42 g Fiber ……….. 15 g
SALMON SALAD WITH TOMATO SALSA
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Standing time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 6-8 minutes
Chilling time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Tomato salsa: 2 large, ripe tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons each: olive oil, lime juice
4 drops hot pepper sauce
Salt, freshly ground pepper
Salmon salad:
1 pound salmon fillet or 2 cups flaked cooked salmon
Salt, freshly ground pepper
Boston lettuce leaves, radicchio leaves or endive
Chopped fresh chives, optional
1. For salsa, place tomatoes in strainer; let stand 10 minutes to drain. Transfer tomatoes to large bowl. Add remaining salsa ingredients; mix well. Cover; refrigerate at least 20 minutes.
2. For salmon salad, place fillets in steaming insert of large pot; add about 1-inch water (insert should be above water). Salt and pepper fillets to taste. Heat to boil over high heat. Cover; steam fish until just cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. (Or, use a colander or sieve above water inside pot to steam fish.)
3. Remove fish from insert and cool until warm. Flake into 1-inch chunks and gently toss with tomato salsa.
4. To serve, arrange lettuce leaves on serving plates. Mound salmon mixture on lettuce; garnish with chives, if desired.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 285 Fat ……….. 15 g Saturated fat .. 2.2 g
% calories from fat .. 47 Cholesterol .. 80 mg Sodium ……… 80 mg
Carbohydrates ……. 8 g Protein ……. 30 g Fiber ………. 2.5 g
CHICKEN SALAD WITH FENNEL, ORANGE AND RASPBERRIES
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Raspberry-orange dressing:
Zest and juice of 1 large navel orange
3 tablespoons each: olive oil, grainy mustard, honey
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
Salt, freshly ground pepper
Chicken salad:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup orange juice
3 large navel oranges
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, coarsely chopped
8 cups mixed lettuce such as Boston or bibb, torn into pieces
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup raspberries
1. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in medium bowl. Spoon 2 tablespoons dressing into large skillet; set aside remaining dressing.
2. For salad, heat skillet with dressing over medium-low heat. Add chicken and orange juice; heat to simmer. Reduce heat to low; cover skillet. Cook 6 minutes. Turn chicken; cook 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove lid; let cool 15 minutes.
3. Cut off tops and bottoms of oranges with sharp paring knife. Peel oranges, removing all white pith. Slice into rounds. Set aside.
4. Toss together fennel and lettuce in large bowl with all except 2 tablespoons of the reserved dressing. Evenly divide lettuce mixture among 4 chilled dinner plates. Slice chicken into thin strips. Arrange chicken, orange sections and onion slices on top of lettuce. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Sprinkle with raspberries.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 490 Fat ……….. 15 g Saturated fat .. 2.6 g
% calories from fat .. 27 Cholesterol .. 95 mg Sodium …….. 320 mg
Carbohydrates …… 51 g Protein ……. 40 g Fiber ……….. 10 g
