Category: Salad

Entrée, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, Salad, Vegetarian

Spring Buddha Bowls with Veggies & Farro

Annie

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Ted and I couldn’t get enough of these Spring Veggie, Marinated Chickpeas, & Farro Bowls. It’s the type of meal that you’re sad when you finish the leftovers. These grain bowls are savory yet bright with the dressing, chewy thanks to the farro, crunchy from the radishes and snap peas, and creamy because of the goat cheese and avocado. By marinating the chickpeas directly in the dressing, they absorb some of the flavor. We served this with a piece of crusty bread, channeling our inner sweetgreen during this pandemic. This salad is fun because you can change your veggies and toppings every time. We added pumpkin seeds one night, fresh basil and mint another, and Ted added cherry tomatoes on our third try. We did only spinach for one and mixed greens for another. Mix and match to make it your own!

 

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Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian

Copycat Sweetgreen’s Spicy Cashew Dressing

Annie

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I keep trying to hack Sweetgreen’s dressing because everyone knows Sweetgreen’s dressings are the bomb; it’s what makes the salad. Here’s my take on their Spicy Cashew Dressing. It’s full of healthy fat thanks to the EVOO and raw cashews. It’s sweet, tangy, obviously spicy, and has a layer of umami to it. I can’t wait to add this to lots o’ salads and bowls because when you want to eat it with a spoon, it’s that good, right?

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Better Than Takeout, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, Salad

Copycat Sweetgreen Strikes Again with Tahini Chicken Quinoa Bowls

Annie

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I love me some Sweetgreen. What I love even more is when I find how to hack Sweetgreen’s dressings and create something just as good at home. I give you Creamy Sesame Tahini Quinoa Bowls. They’re sweet and spicy, while also filling and oh-so-hearty thanks to the quinoa and chicken. The Creamy Sesame Dressing is a blend of tahini and sesame oil adding a savory, umami kick to tie things together.

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Better Than Takeout, Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, Salad

Copycat Sweetgreen’s Curry Cauliflower Quinoa Bowls

Annie

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I love sweetgreen. I love their salad dressings, locally sourced ingredients, clean eating philosophy, and the ease to grab a meal. The only downside is that a salad or bowl runs $10-12. I’ve been craving a sweetgreen, but on a budget. I decided to try my hand at their curry cauliflower bowl that’s offered during the fall; the bowl is: quinoa/farro, arugula, roasted curry cauliflower, cilantro, dried cranberries, roasted chicken, sriracha, & cucumber tahini dressing. While not quite the same since their dressings seem to be top-secret, I basically nailed this with my version of Curry Cauliflower Brown Rice Bowls. I used my own homemade dressing, leftover brown rice from sushi stacks, and roasted cauliflower and chicken. If you make the dressing and rice ahead of time, it’s really an easy meal prep.

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Better Than Takeout, Entrée, Lightened Up, Salad

Chicken Caesar Wrap as a Tastyyyy Salad

Annie

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Deconstructed Chicken Caesar Wrap — what’s up? I made this late summer around the same time I went to Nantucket with my friends Leah and Steph. For some reason, it got lost in the potential blog post limbo. I saw Leah Saturday night and she was craving a Caesar salad for dinner, and I remembered this post was lost in limbo. This version of a Caesar “salad” is light, fresh and perfectly chopped. I love my salads chopped now after this is how they were prepped in college. This is totally optional, but so much more fun. I also looooooove this dressing I found a few years ago; it’s creamy because of the Greek yogurt, but still tastes just like Caesar dressing. Adding a little naan on the side makes this salad seem like a wrap without actually having the wrap.

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Better Than Takeout, Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, One Pot Dish, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian

Copycat Sweetgreen Falafel Salad

Annie

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Ever since moving to Boston, I really like Sweetgreen since you get a salad or bowl that’s healthy and doesn’t truly break the bank. But, I’d like Sweetgreen even more if I didn’t have to leave my apartment to grab a meal. Sometimes, you just want something a bit more instantaneous. Here’s my copycat version of the Hummus Tahina Salad — Falafel Salad with Cucumber Tahini Dressing. I bought some falafels from the freezer section, tossed in ingredients for a salad and whipped up a dressing. I liked SG’s idea of adding breadcrumbs to their salad, so I added some GF breadcrumbs to act like croutons. I also like making regular tahini dressing — raw tahini, lemon, agave and water — and modified this to be the cucumber tahini version. Almost just as easy, but this one requires a bit of blending to make the cucumbers and garlic silky smooth.

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Asian, Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Low Sugar, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keen on Rainbow Quinoa Salad Bowls

Annie

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I’ve been on a colorful salad and bowl kick lately. This Rainbow Quinoa Salad did not disappoint. Can you sense a taste trend here? I also really liked this Peanut Ginger Dressing and it was very easy to make. I made this salad dressing combo during the week when I had exams and presentations and had my last serving today. Can I already have another? I used a combination of yellow and red bell peppers to give a more colorful kick and balance the other colors. Served cold, it hit the spot during this warm, toasty April week.

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Better Than Takeout, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, Mexican, Salad

Bring Chipotle Home with Chipotle Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Annie

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Happy meal prep Sunday! I saw this video floating around Facebook from Eating Well. I’ve been on a bowl quick lately and seem to favor them because 1. it’s one plate (or in this case bowl); 2. everything is right there — protein, veggies, grain and your own add on’s; and 3. it’s way easier to assemble and fun to eat, especially with a busy schedule. PLUS, they’re so easy to make for weekday meals and easy to recycle leftovers. Here’s a take on a Mexican-inspired Chipotle Chicken Bowls. I didn’t use cheese and swapped sour cream for non-fat plain Greek yogurt. I made my own salsa, tweaked from Steak, Beans & “Rice” with a Fresh Tomatillo Salsa. It’s super fresh with the lime juice and cilantro.

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Asian, Dairy-Free, Entrée, Salad, Seafood, Vegetarian

Easiest Savory Sesame Salmon Salad

Annie

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My dad flew out of Boston this weekend, so naturally my mom sent down some salmon and chickpea fesenjan from Minimalist Baker (delish, btw) down from Maine. I had some leftover bok choy and scallions in my fridge, which are the makings of a perfect salad.  Sesame salmon and tahini go oh, so well together. I whipped up an easy dressing and had the best lunch: Sesame Salmon Salad with a Tahini Dressing.

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Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian

The Most Colorful Detox Bowls

Annie

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So I’m finally testing out my inspiralizer from William Sonoma that I got for Christmas. First thing I tried? Purple cabbage. Ambitious, I know. While not perfectly spiralized, the cabbage came out in thinner strips than I would’ve been able to chop and much longer than if I used a food processor. The cabbage was mesmerizing and has the coolest designs, in case you were wondering because I know you were. Gimme Some Oven came out with this Detox Salad after New Years. While it is DELISH and I’m obsessed with the dressing, I made it a bit hardier so it would more of a meal and less of a side. The Carrot Ginger Dressing is sweet, tangy, sour and so flavorful. I’m in love with the red cabbage in the bowls. It’s much more tender and benign when spiralized. I’m also just extremely biased to chopped salads and this Rainbow Detox Veggie Bowl is no exception. It’s almost too pretty to eat. (But actually eat it because it’s delicious.)

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