Last night, as I was eating my 4th holiday cookie in a row dunked in Holly Nog, I started to think about salad.
and Green Monsters.
Funny how that works, eh?
and then my thoughts drifted back to more holiday cookies.
So I ate the last Chocolate Chip Cookie with toasted pecans (sorry Eric) and decided today I would revisit some of the most popular salad recipes of 2011 on Oh She Glows.
If a miracle happens, I might even find the motivation to get my butt to the grocery store and make one too.
Here are the 5 most popular salad recipes of 2011 according to you. Dig in!
5) Detox Salad
This vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and soy-free salad is based off the Detox Salad at Whole Foods…while being easier on the wallet to boot. It makes me want to dance in my kitchen when I eat this! I love it drizzled with a touch of maple syrup and sprinkle of cinnamon just before serving.
4) Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
Extremely light, fresh, and packed with protein and healthy fats, this tangy salad will have you dreaming of Spring and Summer. Not that you weren’t already when you stepped your feet on the icy bathroom floor this morning.
3) Back on Track Salad
Who says you have to wait until January 1st to get your eating back on track? Wheatberries give this salad a great chewy texture and can be found in bulk food stores such as Bulk Barn. If you don’t want to use wheatberries you can probably substitute brown rice or quinoa too.
2) Weekend Glow Kale Salad
I used to hate kale.
The only way I could bring myself to eat kale was if I put it in a Green Monster, and even then it was always quite bitter. Or I would bake kale chips and cook them so long that you couldn’t even tell it was kale.
Well, lucky for the 20 kale plants I planted in my garden this summer, it grew on me.
This kale salad is easily one of my favourite salads of all time. I learned with the right preparation techniques (such as marinating), kale could be just as good, if not better, than my previous go-to romaine lettuce. Not to mention, kale’s nutritional profile blows romaine out of the water. I always tell kale skeptics to try this salad because it will often change your mind…
Last but not least, I present to you the most popular salad recipe of 2011…
1) Lightened Up Protein Power Goddess Bowl
All women are Goddesses, so it only makes sense that this recipe was #1 in 2011. If the holidays have left you feeling a bit less than Goddess-like, energize yourself with this high-protein vegetable bowl. It fills me up for hours and even takes my mind off cookies occasionally too.
Other honourable mention:
Over The Rainbow Cabbage Salad with Tahini-Lemon Dressing
Well, I’m going to mow down on a salad today. And then I’ll have a holiday cookie or two for dessert. If there are any left, that is.
I need to scarf down all of these salads after my sugar coma this past weekend…
I totally OD”d on the Goddess Bowl this summer…. mmmmm
After all the holiday eating, I am ready for some salads, too!
I love how these salads aren’t just lettuce and tomatoes! They look amazing and protein packed ;)
So glad you put up this post! These salads look amazing. Thanks!!
I am so glad you posted this! I have been looking for some good substantial salads to bring to work! Hope your week is going well!
I keep meaning to make your Detox Salad – I will do that this week, I have been craving salads like crazy since all the indulging over Christmas!
My goal in 2012 is to eat more kale. These recipes are just what I needed. The holidays haven’t been too hard on me, but a couple of pounds crept on and I look forward to the energizing taste of truly nutritious foods like these fabulous salads! Thanks for the tip about taking out the stems of the kale. I can only get curly kale at the grocery store.
I seriously can’t wait to try one of these. You are amazing! I am so over lettuce salads! xo
Champagne Lifestyle on a Beer Budget
Thank you so much for posting these salad recipes! I can’t want to try them out! I have also been craving salad lately, so if I can find motivation to get to the grocery, I may just have one for dinner tonight. :)
I need all of those. Right now. GOLLY I need a cleanse. Hello, Holidays!!
I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve made the Kale salad and the Goddess Bowl. Two of my favorite salads ever, and my kids love them so double bonus points for that!
back on track is my go to meal when i need to detox and get back to healthy habits. so healthy and SO yummy!
Oh my Ange, you’ve got me salivating right now. I’m currently in veggie withdrawal over here in Italy and I can’t wait to eat nothing but when I get home tomorrow night!! I agree with you on the detox salad making the top 5 – it’s a stunner!
Thank you!! Thank you!! I love all of your salads!!! Im going to make the red quinoa salad next!!! All the best for New Years! Xo Michelle Hnilica
I need to make one of these soon!
Salads…what are those? Oh yes, I forgot for a minute with all the holiday goodies in full swing :)
Thanks for the reminders of your faves. And just the bright colored bowls, the rainbow-bright pretty colors…makes me want to dive in. Your light and bright salad pictures are the best for making me wanna get my crunch on!
I looove salads! My favorite salad recipe of yours is the Heat Wave Summer Salad. It’s amazing!
Thank you so much for posting a top 5 list! I love it when you put all of the “bests” together on one page. They are easy sort through and I can find new recipes that I might have missed earlier in the year. I would love to see a list of the all time favorites from 2011!
Your kale salad was definitely one of my 2011 go-to recipes. I still make it all the time : )