Tips & Guides

How to create a super healthy salad in just 5 minutes

7th Apr 2020

Whether you are prepping for a family dinner this Easter or need a simple go-to work from home lunch, creating a delicious salad in just five minutes is a simple task with these four essential steps.

STEP ONE: Prepare your base

You can create a salad with anything you have on hand. We like to start with a base of dark, leafy greens. This could be anything from mixed lettuce, kale and spinach. If you aren’t a greens kind of person, try starting with a base of grains like quinoa or pasta or roasted vegetables – the options are endless.

STEP TWO: Add protein

Bulk it up with some protein! This could be a meat-based protein like chicken, beef or seafood or a vegetarian option like chickpeas, black beans, egg, nuts or tofu. Another great option is quinoa and pasta or a dairy product like halloumi, goats’ cheese or feta.

STEP THREE: Add some colour and a crunch

It is important to add some crunch to your salad. This could be with nuts, seeds, dried noodles, croutons or dried coconut. We also eat with our eyes, so we always try and add a range of fruit and veggies that add some colour to your salad. Some of our favourite fruit and veggies are:
• Mango
• Apple
• Strawberries
• Peaches and nectarines
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Zucchini
• Pumpkin and sweet potato
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Peas and beans
• Avocado
• Mushrooms
• Capsicums
• Asparagus
• Celery
• Herbs like basil and mint

STEP FOUR: Dress it up

The final step to you perfect salad is adding a dressing. BBC Good Food have a great range of simple salad dressing that you can make in minutes, including honey and mustard and minty yoghurt. Another option is an olive oil and salt dressing or a beautiful balsamic glaze.

Now you have the basic steps for a quick and easy salad, it’s time to have fun with the combinations. Some of our go-to salad combinations are;
• Tomato, bocconcini and basil (otherwise known as a caprese salad)
• Mint, pea and feta
• Beetroot, goats’ cheese and pomegranate
• Garden greens, tomato, mango and prawns