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 made the Back On Track salad (with black beans instead of navy, and red quinoa instead of wheatberries, thanks to some allergies)… You wouldn’t believe how fast my sisters ate it up! We are certainly back on track! Thanks!
I just made the Protein Goddess bowl – yummy! Random question…is it meant to be eaten hot or cold? I just reheated my left overs, but wasn’t sure if it’s meant to be eaten cold like a salad? Thanks!
Back on Track salad is just about the best salad EVER. I can not wait for the next “food day” at work to share this amazing salad. I am way excited for lunch this week.
My roommate has made your Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad several times and it’s awesome!
My favorite salad right now is with Kale, apple slices, sunflower seeds, and the light poppyseed/vinegar based slaw dressing! Yummo!!!
These salads make me happy!
Funny you said, “back on track” because today is the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby and everyone here in Louisville is at our favorite track, Churchill Downs!!
Thanks for salad recipes!!!
Hi Angela,
Thanks for all these recipes. I would like to try all of them, however most of the time when i feel like making salads for lunch or dinner i don’t find all the right ingredients & dressings to make a good salad.. would be really helpful if you could do a post on staples for making salads and different home made salad dressings…sorry to ask this because i’m from a place where we don’t eat a lot of salads and most of the time salad means only slices of carrots, cucumbers and onions !
Hi Angela! This is my first comment, but I have been following your blog for about 3 years now. I just wanted to say how much I love your recipes and posts. I was a vegetarian for about ten years, and now allow myself fish and an occasional turkey sandwich–but I mostly eat meat free. My husband is a HUGE carnivore, and even he loves your recipes! Thanks and keep doing what you’re doing:).
I see several questions, with no answers. I am curious also, as to whether this “salad” can be eaten cold (or at room temp). Please advise? I am considering it for a winter potluck event, with all due credits to be paid, of course.
With many thanks,
~k
Hi Karen, I’d be happy to help…which salad are you referring to? :)