Unusual salads - perfect for a light meal

Check out our recipes for delicious salads.

LIGHT QUINOA AND TOFU SALAD

Vegan quinoa salad is a super easy way to have a healthy meal without meat. It is one of the best meals for those who want to eat healthy and have lots of energy. It is definitely well balanced.

When making porridge, follow the recipe on the package. It should be cooked in lightly salted water for about 25 minutes. The groats are ready when the white stalks appear.

Remove the skin from the onion and, using a knife or a paring knife, slice it into peaks. Peel the garlic. Chop the peppers and zucchini as desired. Put the frying pan over low heat. Add a little olive oil. Add the garlic to the sautéed onions, pressing them down. Then add the peppers and zucchini. It is important that the vegetables do not fall apart. They should be cooked until they are soft. Fry the tofu cubes in olive oil in a saucepan.

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce. In a large bowl, combine the semolina. Add the vegetables, tofu and chopped parsley. Stir the salad into the dressing. Season the dish with a pinch of salt. Garnish the dish with mint and cilantro. Enjoy!

BARLEY GROATS SALAD

Salads can be made of almost anything. If you do not know what to do, you can use ready-made recipes. We present this great recipe for a healthy, delicious and tasty barley groats salad that includes figs, chickpeas and roasted pumpkin.

Using a knife, cut the pumpkin into eight pieces. Dip each slice in olive oil. Prepare a square baking dish. Place the pumpkin on the baking paper. Sprinkle with spices and bake the tin at 100 degrees for 10 minutes. Then remove the pumpkin and add the sliced onion. Roast for another 20 minutes.

Pour water into a saucepan, add bay leaf, allspice and a pinch of salt. When the liquid comes to a boil, add the barley groats to it. It should boil for about 20 minutes. When the barley groats have cooled, add the chickpeas. Put the semolina on a plate along with the onions and pumpkin. Sprinkle nuts or parsley on top. Arrange figs around the edges. Drizzle with lemon juice. Enjoy!

CAULIFLOWER SALAD

• Divide the cauliflower into florets and cook in salted boiling water until semi-hard (it only takes a few minutes to cook, so be careful not to overcook it).
• Cut the cucumber into slices. Rinse the chickpeas several times with cold water. Drain the corn. Place the vegetables in a bowl.
• Roast sunflower seeds in a dry pan. When they are roasted, add them to the bowl with vegetables.
• Mix the mayonnaise with yoghurt. Add pressed garlic and a lot of spices. Pour the sauce over the vegetables. Sprinkle the salad with chopped chives.
• It is best to refrigerate the salad for at least a few hours before serving. Although it is not necessary, it will allow the flavours to combine and make the salad even more tasty.

SALAD WITH MACKEREL AND ROASTED YAMS

This simple salad combines perfectly matching flavors: sweet potatoes, smoked fish, and zesty arugula. The salad is finished with a spicy, sour dressing and aromatic spices.

Roasted yams taste best. They become sweeter and gain flavor thanks to the spices. Their preparation is quick and easy. Do not skip this step and replace oven-baked potatoes with boiled potatoes. Capers can be substituted for olives if you don't like them. If you prefer pimenton, you can substitute regular ground bell pepper (hot or mild).

• Preheat the oven to 200°F
• Cut the yams into small, neat and thin pieces. Arrange them in a roasting pan.
• Add the olive oil to the yams. Season with salt, pepper, hot pimenton, rosemary and fennel. Mix the vegetables with your hands to coat them in the oil and spices.
• Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check to see if the yams have softened enough. If not, put them back in the oven. Allow the baked yams to cool.
• Mix the arugula in a bowl with an olive oil base. Spoon the arugula onto plates.
• Remove the skin and backbone from the mackerel. Cut it into pieces and remove the bones.
• Prepare the sauce by combining the mustard, oil and lemon juice in a jar. Close the jar and stir. For a smooth, liquid sauce, taste the mixture and add more oil or lemon juice if necessary.
• Arrange yams and smoked fish pieces on arugula. Serve with the mustard sauce.
• Sprinkle with mild pimento and freshly ground pepper.

SALAD WITH ORANGE, AVOCADO AND GOAT'S CHEESE

• The avocado can be cut in half. Remove the seed and use a spoon to separate the flesh from the skin. Slice the avocado in half and place it on top of the oranges.
• Spread the dressing over the salad and then arrange the cheese balls on top. Sprinkle with blue poppy seeds and coarsely ground pepper.
• Prepare the dressing: Pass the passion fruit pulp through a fine mesh sieve. Once the mousse is strained, pour it into a jar. Add honey and a generous amount of olive oil to it. Cover and shake.
• You can form cheese balls with your hands and then coat them in finely chopped pistachios.
• Use a knife to remove the peels from the oranges. Arrange the oranges on plates, cutting them into cubes.

SALAD WITH SALMON AND BRUSSELS SPROUTS

• Cook the grits in a little lightly salted water for 18-20 minutes.
• Cook Brussels sprouts in unsalted water until tender but not overcooked (about 10 minutes). To ensure the vegetables cook evenly, you can trim the thicker ends of the Brussels sprouts with a knife. Run the cooked Brussels sprouts through cold water to drain them.
• Roast the Brazil nuts in a dry pan and remove the skin that remains after roasting.
• The ends of the Brussels sprouts should be cut off. Separate the leaves from the heads, gently separating them. If the heads are too small to separate the leaves, you can cut them into four or five pieces and add them to the leaves.
• Transfer the cooled bulgur to a bowl. Add roasted nuts (slightly crushed in a mortar) and smoked salmon, cut into small pieces. Mix all the ingredients together.
• Add Brussels sprouts and juice of 1 whole lime. Add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Mix well and serve.