I love salads, but I’ll be the first to admit that they can get a bit boring after a while!
Recently, I have challenged myself to have one salad a day because they are such a great way to pack in a lot of veggie servings and I tend to slack on my veggie consumption in the Winter time. We don’t have our CSA share brimming with veggies and the grocery store stock can look a bit worse for wear this time of the year. (Last week, I bought some romaine that looked so weak and frail I almost shed a tear.)
Sadly, in the Winter it is often: veggie consumption down, carb consumption UP.
But…..I do feel (and look) my best when I’m eating lots of vegetables, so I decided to make an effort to pack more into my day. The only downfall with my salad challenge is that salads can become boring pretty fast if I don’t get creative!
The other day I was eating a rather boring salad and I thought to myself, Wouldn’t it be fun if I could make a high-protein salad topper that would be easy to sprinkle on my salads? Then the wheels got turning and I started to think of different flavour combinations and I pretty much ran to the kitchen to try it out.
These salad toppers are high in protein, fibre, healthy fats, and pack in a ton of nutrients. They will give your salads (or bowls of cereal!) some extra staying power too. Have fun mixing up the flavours and making different salad combos. 
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Pump It Up Customizable Salad Toppers
Chewy, flavourful, and super addicting these high-protein salad and cereal toppers will give those boring bowls a boost. Have fun making all kinds of fun flavours! I have included the nutritional info below.
Yield: ~1.5-1.75 cups (6 servings)
Base recipe:
- 2 tbsp regular oats
- 2 tbsp flour (I used whole wheat flour)
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp water)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Directions: Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a non stick mat. Mix the flax egg in a small bowl and set aside. After 5 minutes, Mix all of the above ingredients together in a bowl. Now add in your desired ‘flavours’ by selecting one of the options below or by creating your own flavour!
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Savoury Flavour: (Garlic Herb) |
Sweet Flavour: (Cinnamon Sugar) |
YOUR FLAVOUR? |
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Directions (continued): After mixing in your seasonings, spread the mixture onto your prepared baking sheet as flat as you can by using slightly wet hands or a spatula. You want it as thin as you can get it so it cooks faster. You can now sprinkle on additional herbs if making the savoury flavour or you can sprinkle on sugar if making the sweet flavour. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, flip, and break up the pieces with a spatula and bake for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet. Makes about 1.5 cups or a bit more.
I served my salad with my Better than Balsamic dressing.
Nutritional info (per serving, serves 6): 160kcals, 11 grams fat (1 gram sat fat, 5082mg Omega-6, 1972 Omega-3 fatty acids), 10 grams carbs, 5 grams fibre, 7 grams protein, 0 grams sugar. (Note: This info includes the base ingredients only).
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This recipe really could not be any easier! I was just shocked at how quickly it came together. The great thing about this recipe is that it is completely customizable too. The flavour combinations are endless. :)
I’m sure you can mix up the seeds too depending on what you have!
Now you pick what flavours you want to use. I made Savoury and Sweet versions that were both so good.
Mix together and then spread the mixture onto a pan as thin as possible. The thinner you spread it, the faster it will cook.
Sprinkle on additional herbs, or if making the sweet version, sprinkle with cinnamon and coarse sugar. Mmmmm.
Bake for 15 minutes at 350F and then remove from oven. Flip the large piece and then break up up with a metal spoon. Bake for another 5 minutes and then cool completely on the pan.
In under 30 minutes, you have the most amazingly delicious healthy salad or cereal topping.
I baked mine up chewy, but if you wanted them crispy you could bake them longer. It is totally up to you. They do firm up slightly when cooling, so keep that in mind.
I’m going to warn you, they are SUPER addicting! I loved eating them like a ‘cracker’ too. They would be amazing with hummus (what wouldn’t though?).
This morning, I discovered that the Sweet cinnamon sugar flavour is also incredible on cereal! It is chewy and really amps up a bowl of cereal in a flash. I’m sure it would also rock in a bowl of hot oatmeal or VOO.
Anyone want to join in the salad challenge with me? I’m curious to see what other flavours you guys can come up with! If you have any ideas or make any other versions, leave me a comment below!
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Yesterday, I got some exciting news. 
I have been selected as a finalist in Best Health Magazine’s Health Blog Awards in the Eat Well category.
Voting is now open and I would greatly appreciate your vote! All you do is enter your name and email address and then click to vote. You can vote daily if you’d like to. Voting is open until March 21 and winner’s are announced on March 31st. When you vote you are entered to win a chance at a free subscription to the magazine. :) Thank you so much for your support! 
Have a great day. It appears I have a long day of bakery work ahead of me today. ;)
what a creative idea! and much better than butter-soaked croutons. good luck in the competition!
This looks awesome – I agree, sometimes salads can be boring… or they can NOT fill me up all the way! I just had one for lunch and I have to tell you that I am still hungry!!! However, I have nothing left to eat. It’s a tragedy.
Yum, these sound great. I’m a crouton fanatic, but try to stay away from them unless I take the time to make them from my own homemade bread.
I’m going to make these, but using oat flour instead of whole wheat. Can’t wait to taste them. I wonder if they”ll even last long enough to put on top of a salad? ;-)
That’s a really great idea for salads. I agree that they can be a bit boring during the dull winter months; I too need some salad inspiration. Lately I’ve been really digging the ‘liquid gold’ salad dressing from ‘becoming vegan’, I eat salads just to have that. It’s so tasty, and these crumbles would just amplify it all. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
These remind me of brendan brazier’s thrive diet crackers! Such a great source of protein and healthy fats:) Can’t wait to try these!
looks to die for. YUM!:)
These are such a cool idea Ange! I definitely want to experiment with some flavours. I adore cinnamon so I’m pretty sure I’d love that recipe! Good luck with the Best Health awards – I will DEFINITELY be voting for ya!
What a great idea! I eat salad for lunch almost every day during the warm weather months, but in the winter I am really bad about it. They just get so appealing! I do try to eat veggie-packed soups, but this is a great idea for making salads more interesting.
Love this idea! I will definitely be giving it a try. I was feeling like veggie consumption was way down in our house too, so I have started buying big containers of spinach or other greens each week at the market. I hate nothing more than wasting food, so anytime I’m hungry I make something salad based!
And congratulations on your finalist spot – voted :)
Yum, Yum…those salad toppers look great ~ I think I’m going to have to try the savoury ones real soon. I am like you ~ lots of carbs and not many fresh veggies in the winter; unfortunately my waistline is starting to reflect my eating habits.
Congratulations on your nomination!
We have been making all of our salads this winter with kale, and I am totally addicted! My favorite so far is an Asian inspired one with avocado, tomato, red onion, and pumpkin seeds! The lettuce here is looking too sad for me to bear as well, and I HATE buying the pre washed stuff in the plastic tubs. They always go bad within a few days! The recipe for the kale salad can be found on my blog www.consciousearthveg.blogspot.com. Thanks for the great recipe!
Definitely joining in on the salad challenge (even tho I eat one practically everyday already)! Trying to shed the holiday EL-BEEZ and i’ve got 8.5 to lose (yowza christmas cookies!). My favorite salad combo right now is arugula, spinach, lettuce, avocado, chickpeas, and hummus mixed w/ nutritional yeast, ground up walnuts, sea salt, & honey mustard dressing. IT’ MAKES FOR ONE CREAMY SALAD! Holds me for hours! I recommend trying it! <3
What a fab idea.
I’d love to make these wheat free and dehydrate them!
A flavor suggestion: curry, ginger, dulse, and nooch
Looks like a great salad topper. Much better than croutons.
Reminds me of a recipe Averie (Love Veggies and Yoga) came up with for crackers.
I voted for you.
Ohhhh those salad toppers are genius! I eat a salad almost everyday for lunch and could really use something to spice it up!
Goodluck in the healthy blog contest!
You are such an inspiration girl!
I love the salad toppers, I find salad boring without a “crunch”
Congrats on the award!! I will vote :)
xxoo
Those look tasty! I’ll definitely be voting, you deserve it. :)
Congratulations on being a finalist! I will definitely be voting! :D
I’m not all too creative with salads but these look like a great way to mix it up! With my salads, if I have leftover beans (or lentils as was the case today), I’ll put it on top of a salad. :)
I would make a Mexican-inspired topper with dried cumin/coriander/garlic. Maybe some smoked paprika or chipotle chili powder if I’m feeling cheeky.
What a good idea to dress up a salad. They do look like they’d be great to munch on like crackers too. Mmm.
I’ve been lamenting the same thing – our fresh produce options are less desirable in the winter. Where oh where can I find a decent cucumber? During CSA season, I literally plan my week’s meals around our CSA box. At the end of the season, I have to adjust. And it’s kind of painful.
Thank you, once again, for sharing such a great recipe idea. :)