Chopped Salad Recipes

Including salads in your daily diet is not just for those people trying to lose weight, or those following a specific diet, but is essential for everybody. Much of what our bodies need in the form of vitamins, minerals and fiber come from salad. If your diet lack these essentials, we are opening the door to a host of unpleasant ailments. There is a large section of people out there who think of salads as 'health food' and unappetizing. However, nothing could be further from the truth!

There are a zillion different ways to make salads, and most results are luscious and delicious. The other benefit of salads it that they are easy to prepare, and require very little time to put together. In fact, chopped salads are among the easiest to prepare. You don't really need a recipe to make one, just chop up your favorite raw veggies, treat them to a generous squeeze of lime and a drizzle of olive oil, toss and eat! Here are some tasty recipes for salads.

Healthy Chopped Vegetable Salad Recipe

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 2 cups green cabbage, sliced thin
• 2 tbsp chopped, fresh cilantro
• 2 cups red cabbage, sliced thin
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned into 1-inch strips
• 1 cup grated carrot

Dressing

• ⅓ cup soft silken tofu
• 2 tbsp. chopped, fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup white or yellow golden miso
• 2 tbsp. minced scallions
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• 1½ tsp. minced garlic
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1½ tsp. mustard powder
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. pickled ginger
• 2 tbsp. natural unsweetened peanut butter
• Sesame seeds

Directions

Combine the tofu, miso, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, water, soy sauce, peanut butter, pickled ginger, honey, mustard powder and garlic in a food processor and blend till smooth. Toss in the scallions and cilantro. In a large bowl, mix together the green and red cabbage, carrot, bell pepper and cilantro. Pour ½ cup of the dressing over the salad and toss. Sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds, and serve. If you serve this with any form of lean protein, it can make a very healthy main dish.

Greek Chopped Salad

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup sliced pitted Kalamata olives
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 ounces thinly sliced Italian Genoa salami, cut into strips
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup very thinly sliced red onion
• 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 (15½ ounce) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
• 1 cup very thinly sliced fresh fennel bulb

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, oregano and garlic. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. In a large bowl, add in the lettuce, garbanzo beans, bell pepper, red onion, fennel, feta cheese, salami, and sliced olives. Add the dressing to the salad and toss. Transfer the salad to platter and serve.

Chicken Chopped Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 thin slices prosciutto (about 4 oz.)
• Romaine lettuce leaves
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 5 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• ½ of a small red onion, chopped
• Paprika
• 1 medium yellow sweet pepper, chopped
• 2 lemons
• 1 medium red sweet pepper, chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 small carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the prosciutto in single layer on large baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until crisp. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and paprika on the chicken. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet and add the chicken to it. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Cool and slice into strips. Prepare the lemon dressing by shredding the peel from one lemon. Collect about 1/3 cup of lemon juice and combine it with remaining olive oil, shredded peel, and shallot in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine the carrots, zucchini, sweet peppers, onion, and chicken in large bowl and pour the dressing over it. Toss and add blue cheese. Cover the base of the salad bowls with romaine leaves and then spoon in salad into each bowl. Add some prosciutto on the top of each bowl.

Each chopped salad recipe provided here has its own distinct flavor. However, they all are easy to prepare. When serving salads, presentation is very important, so decorate the platter with garnishes such as sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced hard-boiled egg, or onion ring slices.