Bert Swope
If you have been thinking about trying vegetarian food, you should consider some simple yet tasty Vegetarian Salad Recipes. In fact, these are easy to make and healthy too. You may wonder why vegetables always seem to be a bit more difficult to cook than meat.
This article will give you a simple step-by-step guide on how to make some very tasty vegetarian salad recipes. It doesn’t get any simpler than this. First, you will need to gather up your raw vegetables (quinoa, radishes, carrots, turnips, etc.) as well as non-starchy green or yellow beans. And then throw all of your veggies into a large pan (depending on how much quinoa or beans you are making), add one cup of water (and optional, 2 cups if using chickpeas), and bring to a boil.
Once they’re boiling, add some tomatoes and some red onions, and let them simmer for around five minutes. While they are cooking, drain the juice from the tomatoes. Now it’s time to chop up your veggies, and if you want vegetarian salad recipes to be as easy as possible, you’ll want to use sharp scissors to cut up your veggies (don’t throw the knife straight into the food, because it will just chop up everything in sight).
When your veggies are chopped up, throw all of your greens in one big bowl, along with a handful of loosely packed croutons. Mix them up real good, add your desired flavors (more red onions, garlic, or cilantro if you wish), mix them in well, and then sprinkle over your cooked greens until they are completely covered. It’s pretty much impossible for even non-vegetarians to tell that you didn’t use vegetables in this meal. Serve and enjoy, and, likely, nobody will even know that you didn’t buy quinoa or raw pine nuts instead of regular olives.
If you want a slightly different variation on this salad, you could use pita bread to make the sandwich base. Spread some quinoa on the base, along with a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes, some croutons, some crumbled Fritos, some chopped avocados, and some sliced pine nuts. Then top with a layer of your favorite cheese, and eat. If you’re using pita bread, spread some additional Fritos over the base to give it a nice golden color.
Another variation on this classic is a bean salad. This is actually my mom’s favorite salad and is surprisingly easy to pull off. Just take some fresh beans, thinly slice them, and throw them in a pan with some water. Over the heat, bring to a boil some pinto beans, add some water if needed, cover the pan with a lid, and let the beans cook for about 25 minutes.
If you don’t like the idea of mushy vegetables, consider making a creamy soup. You can easily do this by using either vegetable stock or a cut-up variety of kidney beans. For the soup base, simply mix in some tomato paste, some chopped pine nuts, some chopped onions, and a pinch of Cayenne pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, and add any optional veggies that you enjoy.
Finally, I want to introduce you to one of the easiest and most delicious vegetarian salad recipes around. It’s called the Feta Lasagna Salad, and it makes a delicious and healthy option to the classic meatballs. You’ll need a few components: broccoli, mushroom sauce (or vermouth), sliced peaches, zucchini, and garlic. Combine all ingredients and cook over low heat. Serve with a tossed salad or a sliced piece of whole-grain bread for a nice, healthy lunch or dinner.