5.24.2011

Three Simple Non-Salads


Very rarely do I eat lunch out. And because I've been watching my weight, I've been eating a lettuce-based salad for lunch every day for months. B.O.R.I.N.G. Yes, yes, I know it's good for me AND it fills me up. I try to make them as interesting as possible by making my salads with endive and all the veggies I can find in the fridge, along with chicken or shrimp shredded on top. But still....I'm really getting sick of it and I confess: salads that are mostly lettuce, any kind lettuce, are not high on my preferred lunch list. I'd rather be eating non-salad salads or salads with little or no lettuce. Am I the only one?


When I eat out, I order quiche, caprese salad (It may say salad, but it really isn't.), chicken salad (ditto) or an omelet.  At home, if a lunch takes too much time to make or if the stove or oven has to be turned on, forget it. Not worth it for one person.
Now that summer is nearly here,  I thought I'd share three of my favorite non-salads that are easy and quick to make and perfect for 1 or 2 people. Not a lettuce leaf in sight. :) I bet all of you have your own favorite "non-salads" and I'd love to hear about them. 


The first I saw many years ago in one of
Lee Bailey's cookbooks. He always has such clever ideas for entertaining and this one was for a company lunch. I changed it a bit and he served it with chicken, which I never do, but if you want, you could add a couple slices of chicken or turkey. If you insist, you can also add a lettuce cup under the cottage cheese. For presentation purposes only, of course! 
I can't even remember what he called it, if anything, because it was on a page full of quick lunch ideas, so I just named it:


Cottage Cheese Salad



Ingredients:
1 cup small curd cottage cheese (lo-fat)
1 tablespoon chives
3 radishes, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 tomato, quartered
1/2 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
freshly ground black pepper

seasoning salt (I use Lawry's)

Method:

Mix cottage cheese with radishes, chives and red pepper. Top with pecans and serve with sliced tomatoes and hard boiled eggs. Season all with Lawry's.

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The second non-salad is something I invented a long time ago, although it wouldn't surprise  me to read in the comments that
you make something like this often. I'm not much of a fan of pasta lunches, mainly because you have to cook the pasta and I'm usually in too big a hurry. But if the kids are here, this is an easy one to make. I usually use whole wheat pasta but the only photo I found in my file was one with regular pasta. Whole wheat gives it such a lovely nutty flavor, that I rarely make it any other way. I must have been out of it the one time I thought to dig out the camera. I add any veggies happen to be in the fridge.

It may say cold in the title, but often the pasta is still warm when I mix everything and I actually like it that way. So don't refrigerate it unless you have to.



Cold Pasta Salad



Ingredients:

1/2 box fuselli pasta- regular or whole wheat
1 small can black olives, sliced
5 green onions, finely sliced, white and green
6 to 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 radishes diced
carrots, sliced , if desired
1 red pepper, diced
Freshly grated Parmesan
Your favorite vinaigrette

Method:
Cook the pasta, rinse in cold water and drain. Add ingredients, dress with vinaigrette and toss with some fresh Paremsan.

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The last salad came from my dear friend Nancy. She's not with us any longer and I miss her a lot and think of her often. She invented this herself and ate it frequently. I posted this back when I first started blogging. It's worth reposting.



Nancy's Cauliflower Salad


Ingredients:

1 small head cauliflower, in florets                                      
3 carrots, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced                                                                                                                   
1/2 cup pimento stuffed green olives, sliced
1/4 cup salad oil
1/4 cup vinegar
seasoning salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:
Make a simple vinagrette with the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Or use your own favorite vinaigrette. Mix with the other ingredients and chill.

53 comments:

  1. They all have me wanting a fork! We finally have warm weather today but just heard the temperature is dropping drastically!! Wind off Lake Michigan can quickly change spring to winter it seems. However, we eat salads and soups year around!!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  2. I'll have to try Nancy's salad. I'm not a fan of lettuce. I eat it because it is supposedly good for me, but...

    And yes, I do a very similar pasta salad. Even the picky Knight and his mother eat it and request it.

    Love cottage cheese with a couple of slices of tomato too, so I'm sure I'd like the first recipe as well.

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  3. Lovely! I'm a big fan of cottage cheese-based dishes. All three salads must taste wonderful.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. Do you have a good non-mayo chicken salad?

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  5. I will have to try the cottage cheese salad, actually they all look good. It's great getting such good ideas for summer lunches.

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  6. Lunch is such a non meal around here, because I think it is too much trouble to stop what I'm doing and prepare something. I like that these can be chilling in the fridge waiting for me.
    Mimi

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  7. I like these non-salads. The one that intrigues me is the cottage cheese salad-very nice.

    I typically bring my lunch to work daily, and these "non" salads provide inspiration for me.

    Velva

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  8. Difficile de choisir, je prends les 3.
    A très bientôt.
    See soon.

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  9. I would love to have any one or all of them, Barbara. They really look wonderful and I like the variety you've created. What a great way to diet. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  10. When I'm at home, lunch is light and simple. When I'm working, I tend to eat a bigger lunch but I'm starting to bring more salads to the office and I love these ideas. I actually don't mind eating a lettuce salad as long as I have a good dressing and lots of other crunchy veggies.

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  11. Love your non-salads, great ideas, too, for a quick lunch! I like lettuce salads, but I like stuff in mine.

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  12. I am feeling you on the non salads. I do it a lot, but with fruit. One thing I love is:
    strawberries (i usually cut them in halves)
    1 tablespoon of rose water (no calories)
    1 teaspoon of sugar on top (about 20 calories, this is often necessary as strawberries don't always taste how they should)
    let this sit for at least an hour then add a bit of chopped mint and low fat cottage cheese. It is so yummy.
    Another good one is watermelon, with rosewater and mint
    *kisses* HH

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  13. They all look delish to me- I make a pasta salad almost the same way as yours.Yum.....

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  14. Barbara, All three of those salads would be welcomed for lunch. I'm with you, salad greens leave me hungry. But a good Cobb salad would do the trick.

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  15. Hi Barbara,

    Salads are really the best for summer and I like all yours you have shared.
    When I go out for lunch I often like to have a Thai beef salad.
    Have a great week

    Hugs
    Carolyn

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  16. OHHHHH YUMMAROONY!!!! I love all these temping things you have displayed here Barbara!!!! AND DEAREST, YOU MAY ENTER INTO THE PARIS POST! I will take your link NOW and put your name and link on my list for THIS SATURDAY! GET ALL FRENCHY ON US THIS SATURDAY and post whatever makes your heart sing about PARIS....THANK YOU! I tried contacting you earlier from work but Blogger was not allowing me to leave a message.....THANK YOU BARBARA!!!! Anita

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  17. I feel like I need a diet too! haha... Frankly, they look simply delish. Thanks for sharing.
    Have a great day, Barbara.
    Blessings, Kristy

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  18. Great salads girlfriend!! YUM!!

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  19. You are not alone Barbara! When the weather is warm, I don't mind a leaf or two, but when it's cold, non-salads always win :) My favourite is a "jewelled" cous-cous salad, lots of little chopped veges, nuts and fruits in a cous-cous base that's been cooked with a mix of orange and lemon juice. Very satisfying.

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  20. You are speaking my language--if these help in the losing weight department, I'm making my grocery list now!

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  21. I've never been a big fan of cottage cheese, but with all that delicious stuff mixed in, I might change my mind!! I love a great big salad for lunch :)

    Sues

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  22. All of these "non salads" look good. I'd take either one of these for lunch any day! :)

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  23. great salads and you look pretty slim and healthy already to me :-)

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  24. That's the kind of lunch I have everyday in the warm season, Barbara - the non salad salad. My favorite is farro salad.

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  25. It is best dish to take in lunch and breakfast. Breakfast dish helps to keep active through out the day. Your dish helps to full of protein dish.

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  26. For a not much of a lunch eater Barbara, you do very well. I would welcome any of those to my table any time. I find planning lunches much more problematic than dinners.

    BTY, I've been meaning to thank you for not having those numbers you have to type to leave a comment. Without them, life is sooo much more pleasant, especially early in the morning when I'm barely awake. I took them off of my comment section.
    Sam

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  27. You're right sometimes lettuce salads can get old. I love pasta and all veggie salads too.

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  28. Wonderful salad ideas, Barbara. The cold pasta is something I would enjoy any day of the week and tomatoes and cottage cheese are two of my favorites. Who says lunch has to be boring?

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  29. Ah, salad ennui. I, too, suffer. But guess what I saw on a restaurant menu the other day? A salad topped with...french fries. Can you imagine?

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  30. Non-salads are definitely the best kind of salad. ;) Love all three of these ideas and I think I'm going to start with the cottage cheese one first!

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  31. Mmm! These look delicious, I especially like the cauliflower salad. Sauteed chickpeas with leeks and a yogurt sauce is definitely my favorite non-salad :)

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  32. i'm in the same boat, i get so burnt out with lettuce-y salads. these are PERFECT subs.

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  33. I am just getting into salad mode for the summer...

    I love the cauliflower one...

    need to try it!

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  34. Pasta salad is my go-to food, that looks delicious!

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  35. Pasta salad is my go-to food, that looks delicious!

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  36. I like these ideas, especially the caulifower one. What a good concept!

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  37. Barbara, all of them looks fabulous, great idea of the coming BBQ on Memorial Day. Hope you are having a wonderful week :-)

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  38. great salad ideas! that pasta one looks perfect to pack and bring to work!

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  39. Look at all these yummy salads! I feel like having a picnic now!

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  40. These salads sound like a major step-up from boring lettuce! I hope they kept things interesting at lunch time!

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  41. They all look great, but I must admit I'm a big pasta salad fan. I think you've inspired my next lunch!

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  42. Today, I saw a really simple recipe for a salad of watermelon, avacado, and grilled pinapple with a simple olive oil and balsamic ving with cracked black pepper. However, your salad look amazing. I need to get my husband to branch out more so we can eat more yummy things like this.

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  43. Non-lettuce salads! You're brilliant to phrase it that way. I find that eating out for lunch that I generally don't bother with the salad at all. There are always other much more interesting things out there.

    I do love a good leafy salad in vinaigrette but I understand where you're coming form. I like pasta salads but haven't really worked myself up to cottage cheese as an ingredient. There's something about the texture that I struggle with. Have you ever made mixed bean salad? I do a lot. It is quite healthy and lettuce free.

    Stevie

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  44. I fall into that lettuce salad rut sometimes! I try to jazz mine up with cheese, fruit and nuts. All of these are salads I would love! One of my fave not lettuce salads is a chickpea, tuna and red onion.

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  45. Love non-salad salads! Any excuse to throw a bunch of tasty ingredients together in one bowl. This is my kind of lunch as well. I often like to use a grain (quinoa, rice, millet as a base) then some veggies, a little citrus, and almost always some cheese (feta, creamy goat cheese, or parm). Oh no, I am getting hungry right now!
    -E

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  46. I get really bored with lettuce too. I'll have to give these a try.

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  47. I love non-salad salads! Anything with chickpeas or hard-boiled eggs always gets my attention. Or, the classic salad nicoise is a favorite. The cauliflower salad looks great. I want that for lunch today!

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  48. mouth watering. stomach growling. must eat food. non-salad food! ;)

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  49. I'm a huge fan of spinach salad. Lately, I've been dolloping a bit of cottage cheese on top forsaking one of the saltier types. Funny thing about cottage cheese and me, it just never sounds appetizing until...the first spoonful.

    Your non salad salads sound inviting. I may just toss that cottage cheese salad right on top of my spinach salad!!!

    For the life of me, I can't seem to find my Lee Bailey book. Thanks for the reminder, I haven't heard that name in ages. Must look again. I don't think I ever prepared a disappointing recipe from any of his books. And yes, GREAT entertaining ideas:)

    Thanks for sharing, Barbara...

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  50. cottage cheese is surprisingly adaptable, isn't it! it works in everything from lasagna to a salad like this to a bowl of fresh peaches. good stuff. :)

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  51. Barbara - I have been eating salads non-stop for dinner (probably a good thing given my sometimes lunch menu). I use lettuce as a base, but pile the plate high with chicken, hard cooked eggs, tomato, pine nuts, and sometimes a grain like quinoa. I call it my version of a "composed salad."

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  52. They all look mouthwatering, but I love that cold pasta salad especially!

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  53. Lettuce can get tiresome--except for right now my little home garden has 2 rows of mixed greens that are delicious on their own! That said, like you we enjoy many "non-salad" salads ---healthy, tasty, and filling.

    The cauliflower one is calling my name!

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