5 Quick & Easy Crave-Worthy Lunch Salads

All the right things.

There really is an art to making a great salad. It needs to hit several of the following to make it crave-worthy. Here are some of the must-have elements for an awesome salad:

• • Bed of greens: arugula, romaine, spring mix (not iceberg as it’s weak in nutrition)
• • Protein: cheese, beans, quinoa, precooked meat or boiled eggs
• • Something juicy: cucumber, tomatoes, oranges, sweet peppers, pears
• • Something crunchy: nuts, seeds, crackers or croutons
• • Something creamy you can sink your teeth into: cheese, avocado, roasted vegetables, boiled egg 
• • Bits and pieces: cooked whole grains, nuts and seeds, sprouts, varied sized cut vegetables
• • Something that packs flavor: olives, cheese, fermented vegetables
• • Easy and tasty dressing (more on that below)

For me to be successful at lunch salads, I have to loosen up a bit. I can’t be all uptight about a complex list of ingredients. It needs to be simple. I need to follow an easy pattern that is free and forgiving. That’s where the list above comes in handy. I know if I mix and match ingredients from the categories above, my salad will feel balanced and satisfying. It’s fun throwing things in and discovering some really great combinations. 

 

Convenience is Queen

Here are a few strategies to make it easier. I try to always have convenient salad ingredients on hand as staples in my fridge, such as:

• • Prepared organic greens already washed and ready to go. I usually choose arugula for its spicy, peppery flavor and because it holds up well in the fridge. But romaine and spring mix also work well.

• • Pre-roasted vegetables like red and yellow bell peppers, beets, zucchini, onions, butternut squash cubes, and asparagus. I like to season them with garlic, salt and pepper, and a little Italian spice.

• • Pre-cooked grains like quinoa and brown rice.

• • Pre-cooked meats you can quickly dice, shred, or toss on top. Boiled eggs work nicely too.

• • Pre-cooked beans (canned works great unless you’re really awesome and make your own beans ahead of time). Try black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans. 

• • Packages of pre-sliced cheese: I love mozzarella and my favorite is Bel Gioioso brand. You can do parmesan, feta, cheddar, swiss, or whatever you love.

 

I’m telling you, I follow an easy-peasy system. I like it simple: 

1. 1. pull out a handful of ingredients from fridge 
   2. do some quick cutting
   3. layer in a bowl
   4. drizzle with dressing 

 

If you’ll be out and about at lunch time, no problem. Just give yourself a few extra minutes in the morning to compile your salad into a bowl with a lid (or mason jar) and take with you in a lunch-bag sized cooler. Put the dressing in a little baggie or tiny sealed container, add a fork, napkin, and the frozen ice block and you’re good to go. The extra effort will be so worth it!

 

Speaking of dressing.

The key is to have a fast and delicious dressing. (By the way, I DO NOT recommend store-bought dressings as they use rancid bad-for-you oils, preservatives, and add no health benefits for you. But don’t worry! I’ve got a simple and easy solution so your at-home dressing is no big deal. Trust me.) 

 

I used to spend a lot of time measuring out a teaspoon of this and three-fourths a cup of that into my blender to make some great homemade salad dressings with an ingredient list of over 10 items. Yes, they were good but it often felt tedious and the recipes made so much it went bad in the fridge. I avoided making salads because I dreaded making the dressing – all that measuring and cleaning out the blender. 

 

Three serendipitous things happened that made me rethink my complicated dressings:

 

Inspiration from eastern Europe

A foreign exchange student from eastern Europe ate dinner with us one summer. I had a few rich, blended, homemade dressings to offer with our salad. She asked if we happened to have a vinaigrette instead. I quickly mixed some olive oil with apple cider vinegar with a little salt and garlic powder hoping it was what she’d like. It was so fast and easy and it was what she was craving.

Inspiration from Italy

We visited Italy and were amazed (and little put out at first) that the only dressing available for salads was oil and balsamic vinegar. That was it. But it started to grow on me with each fresh caprese salad I ate. I started to crave it too! 

Inspiration from Mexico

When I visit a health clinic in Mexico a few times a year, I eat most of my meals at a small cafe below the clinic that serves fresh, organic, whole real food. And it’s to die for. Several plates are served with a little side salad simply dressed with a vinaigrette that is so tasty I want to lick my plate. I asked what was in the dressing. The secret recipe? Oil and lime juice and a little salt and pepper. What???

 

 After these three international brushes with simple dressings I’ve set aside my complicated blender dressings and haven’t looked back. Vinaigrettes taste so fresh and they’re SO easy and fast. I don’t even have to think about it. That’s what I need when I’m starving yet busy and need nutrition fast. These are the kinds of dressings you’ll find in the recipes below: simple vinaigrettes with a tiny list of ingredients.

 

I always use the best quality unrefined oils and vinegars I can afford. For my favorite oils and vinegars  see below in resources. 

 

The Recipes

Here are five quick and easy lunch salads you’ll crave to help you build abundant health even on your busiest days.

Twist on Italian Salad with Quinoa Confetti

This is a quick and easy lunch to throw together especially if you’ve got left-over quinoa already hanging out in your fridge. The quinoa packs protein while the kalamata olives and parmesan cheese pile on the flavor. The trio of arugula, tomato, and cucumber round off this fast little salad into a satisfying meal. If you’re making for more than yourself, just adjust the quantities accordingly. Serving size: 1

INGREDIENTS:

Salad

• • 1 handfull arugula
  • 1/4 c. cooked quinoa
  • 1 tomato diced
  • 1/2 cucumber sliced
  • About 10 kalamata olives
  • 2 T. parmesan cheese shreds

Dressing

• • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1/2 T. apple cider vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 t. Italian seasoning
  • dash garlic powder

 

DIRECTIONS:

• • Place a bed of arugula in your bowl.
  • Layer quinoa over the arugula, then tomato and cucumber. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Top with olives and cheese.
  • Mix up all dressing ingredients with a whisk in a separate bowl and drizzle generously over salad.

Chunky Orange Salad with a Zest of Ginger

Bright pieces of orange partying in the bowl with chunks of cucumber dotted by kalamata olives and dressed with a zippy mix of balsamic vinegar, ginger and cinnamon. Yum! If you’re making for more than yourself, just adjust the quantities accordingly. Serving size: 1

INGREDIENTS:

Salad

• • 1/2 English cucumber cut into half inch pieces
  • 1 large orange with the skin cut off and cut into cubes
  • About 10 kalamata olives
  • 1/2 stalk of green onion sliced
  • 1-2 T. crushed pecans
  • salt and pepper to taste

Dressing

• • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1/2 T. balsamic vinegar
  • couple swiped grated fresh ginger to taste
  • dash of cinnamon to taste
  • pure maple syrup to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• • Salt and pepper the cucumber chunks then place in bowl with oranges, olives, green onions, and pecans.
  • Mix up all dressing ingredients in a separate bowl with a whisk then spoon generously over salad. Or, you can do what I do and drizzle the olive oil right over my salad, then drip a thin ribbon of the balsamic over the top and garnish with the ginger and cinnamon. Who has time to wash a second bowl? 🙂

Quinoa Veg-Mex Salad with South-of-the-Border Yum

This one is especially easy and fast when you’ve got left-over quinoa and roasted vegetables already to go in the fridge. This is perfect for a day you’re a starvin’-marvin  as the quinoa, beans, and cheese are full of protein and the roasted vegetables feel decadent. If you’re making for more than yourself, just adjust the quantities accordingly. Serving size: 1

INGREDIENTS:

Salad

• • 1/4 c. – 1/2 c. cooked quinoa
  • 1/4 c. cooked black beans
  • 1/2 c. cooled roasted zucchini rounds (or any other roasted vegetable mix)
  • 1 tomato diced
  • 1/4 c. cooked corn kernels
  • 1/4 c. diced mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 stalk sliced green onion

Dressing

• • 2 T. olive oil
  • juice of 1-2 lemons or limes
  • dash of pepper infused olive oil or red pepper flakes
  • salt, garlic powder, cumin, and taco seasoning to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• • Mix all salad ingredients in a bowl.
  • Mix up all dressing ingredients in a separate bowl with a whisk, tasting as you go until it’s just right, then spoon generously over salad.

Fruity Avocado & Orange Salad

This has got to be one of my favorites. I swear I make it once a week. The combination of creamy avocado, sweet orange, and crunchy cucumber makes my mouth happy. Mozzarella cheese gives it substance and ruffles of arugula spice it up a bit. Definitely my go-to lunch salad. If making for more than yourself, just adjust the quantities accordingly. Serving size: 1

INGREDIENTS:

Salad

• • handful or two of arugula
  • 1 avocado diced
  • 1/2 c. diced cucumber
  • 1 orange peeled and diced
  • 1/4 c. cubed mozzarella cheese
  • handful of sliced or crushed almonds or pecans
  • salt and pepper to taste

Dressing

• • drizzle of olive oil
  • juice of 1 lemon OR a drizzle of raspberry white balsamic vinegar and another drizzle of strawberry dark balsamic vinegar (my favorite!)

DIRECTIONS:

• • Pile the arugula in a bowl.
  • Add avocado and cucumber to bowl and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add orange, mozzarella, and nuts on top.
  • Generously drizzle olive oil over salad, then either squeeze the lemon juice over OR add the  berry vinegars.

California Caprese Salad with Ruffles of Rocket

In Italy I fell in love with caprese salad where the surprise ingredient was “rocket”, or as we better knew it by, arugula. I was hooked! Here I’ve added a Californian twist by adding avocado. It adds a creamy element and makes the salad even more filling on those hangry days. If making for more than yourself, just adjust the quantities accordingly. Serving size: 1

INGREDIENTS:

Salad

• • handful or two of arugula
  • 1 avocado diced
  • 1 diced tomato
  • 1/4 c. cubed mozzarella cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Dressing

• • drizzle of olive oil
  • drizzle balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

• • Pile the arugula in a bowl.
  • Add avocado and tomato to bowl and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add orange, mozzarella, and nuts on top.
  • Generously drizzle olive oil over salad, then drip a ribbon of balsamic vinegar to your taste.

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