Salad is the perfect food for dinner. Extremely versatile, it can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. Although some skeptics try to smear salad’s reputation by referring to it as rabbit food or diet food, nothing could be farther from the truth. A salad can make a surprisingly hearty dinner, even for the hungriest person. Here are some dinner salad recipes that can fill anyone up and leave them completely satisfied.
Chicken Curry Salad
This simple salad can be made in minutes. All you need is some cooked chicken and a few more ingredients.
Cut up the cooked chicken – leftover and chilled is fine. Stir some curry powder into several tablespoons of yogurt, add salt if necessary, and gently stir the sauce into the chopped chicken. Place over a bowl of romaine lettuce and add to the top a few tablespoons of walnuts and a handful of grapes. Enjoy.
Taco Dinner Salad
Who wouldn’t want the delicious taste of tacos with all the benefits of a nice, big salad? This dinner salad is also easy to make, and is quite filling.
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.
Easy Tofu Greek Salad
You may be vegetarian, or just wanting a change from your regular meat-centred 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.
Chop lettuce and lay it over as many plates as you need for each guest. Stir 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp wine vinegar, 1 tsp basil, and 1/2 tsp each of salt, oregano and black pepper. Chop tofu into 1/2 inch cubes, stir with olive oil mixture and let it sit for a minimum of 1 hour. Add feta cheese, diced cucumbers, diced red onions, sliced tomatoes, and black olives. If you prefer a vegan dish, simply omit the feta cheese and you are ready to go.
Smoked Salmon and Sunflower Salad
This is a great salad when you want something a little fancier than usual. To bulk it up and make it more filling, sprinkle chickpeas over the top along with the other ingredients.
Stir 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar with the juice of 1 lemon, 3 tbsp olive oil, some lemon zest and salt if necessary. Stir mixed greens with 1 tbsp of capers. Gently stir the prepared dressing into the greens and divide into separate serving plates. Tuck several pieces of smoked salmon on each plate and sprinkle each serving with sunflower seeds and remaining bit of lemon zest. Chickpeas may be added at this point also.
As you can see, salads don’t need to be boring or leave you starving as soon as you are finished. Make one of these salads for dinner and see how satisfied everyone will be at the end of their meal. Choose your favorite and make your next meal enjoyable and unique.