Salad is that healthy meal option that’s always out there…and it’s one that always feels a little boring. It’s difficult to eat healthy, low-calorie meals when salad seems like it’s always the same dish. There’s the lettuce and the tomatoes and all the ingredients you see all the time. Even at the best salad bars, the most exciting thing you’re likely to find is some kind of special cheese or nuts. Learn how to make four delicious salads that don’t involve lettuce, and learn how to start thinking outside the box when it comes to low-calorie eating.
Zucchini Noodles
Who needs lettuce when you’ve got zucchini? You can eat zucchini warm or cold, so this is a delicious multi-option meal. All sorts of other veggies pair beautifully with zucchini noodles, which you can buy pre-cut. You can also cut your own with a spiral vegetable slicer. Add tomatoes, a little bit of feta cheese, mild jalapeños and your choice of tofu or protein to your noodles. It will be a filling and nutritional snack. Dress it all with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and you’ll be ready to feast.
Green Beans
Get crispy, fresh green beans to use as a salad base, and they won’t taste at all like lettuce. Mix in some strips of red cabbage, sliced mushrooms, yellow bell pepper and red onion, and you’ll have a salad bursting with strong flavors. This salad can be served cold or warm. Chop everything up and just eat them raw with some balsamic and olive oil, or throw them in a skillet to saute lightly in olive oil for a few minutes. There’s so much flavor here, you don’t need any heavy dressing to add taste to this dish.
Corn Salad
Roasted corn is always delicious, and when you subtract the butter it’s not high in calories. Mix a half a cup of roasted corn with diced red onion, basil leaves and roasted red pepper to create a hearty, tasty meal. Dress the salad lightly with a vinaigrette and eat it cold or warm to enjoy this low-calorie, satisfying dish. Corn salad is also a pretty salad if you’re looking for something beautiful and unique to serve at a get together.
Say Good-Bye, Lettuce
You can always go back to that traditional lettuce salad whenever you like. But when you need to mix it up and enjoy some different flavors without breaking your diet, you can make a great healthy vegetarian snack with zero lettuce. These simple recipes are tasty, easy to make and creative — which is what every meal should be!