Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Lettuce-Free Salads: A Terrific Trio

Unlike some vegetarians and vegans, I never tire of salads.

What I do occasionally tire of, however, are lettuce-based salads.

Maybe it's just me, but sometimes it seems like the old "greens + veggies" or "greens + fruit" thing can get a little boring. You know the drill: Throw some romaine lettuce into a bowl, add your tomatoes, toss in some broccoli, sprinkle a few sunflower seeds on top, drizzle it all with a bit of dressing... yea, yea, yea.

Predictable.


(Yes, tasty. But oh-so-predictable.)

The truth is, no matter how creative I get, my salad cravings can't possibly be met by lettuce-based salads alone. Sometimes variety - of the lettuce-free type - is exactly what I'm looking for.

That's where this trio of salads comes in...

The first one is tomato-based, and although it could arguably be classified as a salsa, I eat it like a regular salad, so I consider it as such. To make it, throw together a small handful of finely diced white onion, a bunch of chopped tomatoes, a clove or 2 of minced garlic, 1/2 a jalapeno, and some roughly chopped cilantro in a small bowl. Then add some Kosher salt, black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil, and stir everything up a bit.

The second salad is chock-full of black beans and chunks of avocado, and as you can see, is bursting with gorgeous colors. To prepare it, simply combine cubed avocado chunks, black beans, halved grape tomatoes, chopped yellow bell peppers, and some diced red onion in a bowl. Then, whisk together some extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, minced garlic, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to pour over the salad. Stir it all together to evenly coat.


The third lettuce-free salad in my terrific trio highlights white beans and mashed avocado, and tastes decadent alone, or spread on top of a lightly toasted baguette. You can make it by combining some white beans with cubed cucumber pieces and halved grape tomatoes. Then add some mashed up avocado, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, Kosher salt and pepper, and you've got yourself a meal!


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Like these salads, but hungry for more?

Don't forget about these lettuce-free options!

19 comments:

  1. Such refreshing non-lettuce-based salads!!

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  2. As a salad lover and a huge texmex fan, I would love eating all of those salads!

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  3. yummy salads! i make the tomato one minus the garlic (no oil just a dash of lemon juice) and occasionally mix in some yoghurt!

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  4. this is the perfect salad - full of beans and no lettuce! looks fresh and yummy :)

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  5. The black bean/avocado salad is so calling my name right now! Beautiful photos, by the way.

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  6. All of them look so good! Nice collection and very different too. Good job gal!

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  7. Lettuce free salads! Good topic choice!! I now have your suggestions all bookmarked. :)

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  8. Great post! I really get sick of lettuce-based salads too...especially in the winter. I will definitely be trying some of these out for my lunches!

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  9. All of these salads look delicious and inviting...and I agree a refreshing change from the usual lettuce based salads :-)

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  10. YUMMM- I couldn't agree more on the tiresomeness of lettuce. My favorite non-lettuce salad is avacado + mango + corn +tomatoes + cucumber + wasabi dressing. Can't wait till springtime to enjoy it again.

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  11. Those salads sound terrific! I've taken a liking to salads without lettuce lately, so those are great ideas!

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  12. WOW! Those salads look amazing!! Sometimes we all need a break from lettuce :)

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  13. My favorite salads always involve tomatoes and avocado, but lettuce...bah, I don't love it that much. It looks like I would love each one of your salads!

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  14. i don't think I've combined white beans with avocado, but what a great idea!

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  15. Yikes...I do get tired of salads...just cause it's cold but I eat green veggies everyday:(

    Your salad looks really yummy and refreshing.

    Ps: Love your music taste!

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  16. Your salads all look fantastic! I am a sucker for a good salad and I would love to try any one of these, or even all of them!

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  17. I generally hate salads and tomatoes (some vegetarian, I know...) but these look really good! I'm especially a sucker for beans, avocado and corn. Although now when I see corn I have this love/hate relationship being part way through Omnivores' Dilemma. But hey, at least it's really whole corn.

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  18. yuummm I love salads. and these looks wonderful.

    Thanks for the comment on my blog, I'm glad u found me haha i like yours. ;)

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  19. oh wow! Those salads look amazing! Especially the the one with beans and avocado. Mmmmm!

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