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kale-chickpea-salad-with-trout

How to Make Your Salad into a Meal

Salads are an easy way to get more fruits and vegetables, but they also can be a one-bowl solution to a filling, nutritionally well-rounded meal. Certainly, you can have your salad on the side, but why not enjoy a colourful, easy to prepare meal full of diverse textures, flavours and even temperatures? It’s a great way to use up leftovers too!

kale-chickpea-salad-with-trout

Here are some ideas to make healthy, meal-sized salads:

  1. Start with leaf greens. Remember the darker the green, the more nutrients.
  2. Add raw or cooked vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, carrots, onions, cabbage, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower… Vegetables are full of fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Or add fruit such as seasonal berries, apple or pear slices, grilled peaches or nectarines or dried cranberries.
  3. Bring in whole grains such as barley or quinoa or starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes. These provide more fibre and complex carbohydrates to fill you up. Beans, lentils and chickpeas add fibre and complex carbohydrates too and the added bonus of plant-based proteins. All great choices.
  4. Add a hard-boiled egg, sliced cheese, cottage cheese or a serving of beef, chicken breast, pork, turkey or fish for protein and to make the meal complete.
  5. Throw in some toasted nuts or seeds for protein and healthy fats plus an added crunch.
  6. Finish it off with a homemade salad dressing featuring heart-healthy canola oil and other Canadian ingredients such as honey, maple syrup and mustard. Check out this article on how to make your own simple vinaigrette.
canola-oil

Canadian Ingredient Spotlight: Canola Oil

To get you started, check out our Make a Salad Your Meal recipe collection:

Slider Slaw Salad
Make your traditional burger slider healthier by replacing the bun with coleslaw!
Check out this recipe
slider-slaw-salad
Kale Chickpea Salad with Trout
Simple ingredients like herbs are the perfect addition to this dish.
Check out this recipe
kale-chickpea-salad-with-trout
Bistro Turkey Bacon Salad
This elegant salad will make you feel like you are sitting at a table by a river in France.
Check out this recipe
bistro-turkey-bacon-salad
Mediterranean Tortellini Pasta Salad
This crowd-pleasing dish is perfect for a summer lunch or dinner.
Check out this recipe
Mediterranean Tortellini Pasta Salad
Barley Salad with Dried Cherries, Feta, Grilled Pork & Sautéed Spinach
This delicious salad is chock-a-block full of flavour.
Check out this recipe
barley-salad-with-dried-cherries-feta-grilled-pork-sauteed-spinach

Dorothy Long

Dorothy Long is a home economist with a passion for telling the stories of Canadian farmers and foods. Owner of BlueSkyIdeas.ca, she works to promote all the wonderful foods grown and raised in Canada.

Contributor PostsDorothy Long
Previous Post:family on the go4 Fast and Easy Meals Using Beef
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