Satisfying Salads That Keep You Full

A satisfying salad is a paradox in nature! That’s what we all believe! It’s only 3 pm, and that means there’s at least another 4 hours to go before dinner. We know only too well that it’s the random snacking at tea-time that kills! But the hunger pangs are hitting home aggressively.

Lesson learnt: A salad for lunch is just not enough!

If most salad-lunch days leave you feeling like this, here’s some food for thought … literally!

“The problem, dear Watson, is not that you ate a salad for lunch; the problem is with what you put IN the salad you ate for lunch!”

If within 2 hours of your salad-lunch, you find you are rummaging through the pantry or hitting the coffee-shop, chances are your salad was lacking in healthy protein and fat.

I’m sharing 3 simple recipes for you to try out. While I am not one to count calories, I have included an estimated nutritional content so you can check out the amount of fat, protein and fibre in each of the recipes.

Note: I have kept it simple by using the same dressing for all 3 salads, since the focus here is on ensuring sufficient fat and protein … but you can vary it. Options include Balsamic vinegar, Miso, English mustard etc.

MIXED BEAN SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cooked mixed beans

1/2 avocado, cut into cubes

1 small carrot, grated

2 cups kale, loosely packed

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

1/8 cup pumpkin seeds

DRESSING:

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

Sea salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Mix all these ingredients in a glass container, until well emulsified
2. Use any beans that you like; I used mixed beans that were soaked overnight and then pressure-cooked.
3. Wash and dry the kale leaves, and place on a serving plate.
4. Layer all the other ingredients over, and pour on the dressing.

EGG AND FETA SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

2 boiled eggs

2 cups kale, loosely packed

1/2 cup cucumber, sliced

1/8 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup avocado, cut into cubes

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

5 small olives

20 grams feta cheese

DRESSING:

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

Sea salt and pepper to taste

(Mix all these ingredients in a glass container, until well emulsified.)

METHOD:

1. Boil the eggs and, once cool, cut them and place around the edge of the serving plate.
2. Place the kale leaves in the middle and layer the other ingredients over.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and serve.

Cottage Cheese Salad

INGREDIENTS:

2 leaves Romaine lettuce, cut

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 cup cucumber, sliced

1 tbsp shallot, chopped

3/4 cup low fat cottage cheese (2% fat)

DRESSING:

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

Sea salt and pepper to taste

(Mix all these ingredients in a glass container, until well emulsified.)

Method

1. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
2. In a bowl, mix the dressing into the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices and shallot. 
3. Add in the cottage cheese and serve

As you can see in these salad recipes, the choice of things that go into a salad can easily be tweaked to improve protein and fat content, and leave you feeling fuller for longer. Other good sources of protein to include in salads are skinless grilled chicken meat, cottage cheese and pre-cooked prawn or salmon. Vegetarian options are tofu, tempeh, cooked beans (chickpeas, kidney beans, lima beans, sprouted mung, black beans, edamame, etc.) and, of course, the popular nuts and seeds.

So, do try these recipes out, and tell us if they were satisfying enough for you.