You don’t often hear hearty and salad in the same sentence, but in my opinion salads can be a nutritious, satisfying, and versatile option for any meal of the day if you prepare them properly.

Regularly incorporating salads into your diet can have health benefits. Research has shown that diets rich in fruits and vegetables are associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Additionally, the high fibre content of salads supports digestive health and helps regulate blood sugar levels.

I want to make sure you’re eating only the best salads this summer. So here are my ideas, tips and tricks for making meal-worthy salads that are both nutritious and satisfying. 

• Always add protein. A well-composed salad typically includes a variety of colourful vegetables, which provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fibre crucial for overall health. But don't forget to add protein sources like beans, tofu, tempeh, lentils, or chickpeas which further enhance the nutritional profile and help you feel full. I love adding roasted chickpeas or tofu feta to my salads!
  

• Incorporate healthy fats. Contrary to the stereotype of salads leaving you hungry, a properly balanced salad can actually be quite filling. Including healthy fats promotes satiety and keeps you feeling full for longer. Adding olives, avocado, nuts, and seeds can increase the staying power of your salad. Not to mention that nuts and seeds can add more texture/crunch to your salad when toasted or roasted. Check out my raw taco salad bowls where I teach you how to make walnut “meat” — it’s insanely tasty!
  

• Include grains, noodles and starchy veggies. Adding starchy veggies like roasted squash or sweet potato, a serving of whole grains like quinoa or farro, or even your favourite noodles will increase fibre and protein, and ultimately increase satiety. Try out my power pasta salad and my vermicelli noodle bowls — these are both summer favourites!
  

• A good homemade dressing is key! To create a delicious salad dressing you want to find a nice balance between fats (generally an oil) and acids (typically vinegars or citrus fruit juice). A rule of thumb is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar (but you can adjust this to suit your own palate). From there you can play around with flavours and experiment with different ingredients like garlic, ginger, shallots, fresh or dried herbs and spices, different fats (olive oil, avocado oil, sesame oil, tahini, peanut butter, etc), a variety of vinegars or citrus fruit juice, condiments (like tamari, mustard, etc), sweeteners (maple syrup, dates, berries, etc) and, of course, seasoning with salt and pepper. Honestly, there are so many possibilities using the ingredients you likely already have in your fridge and pantry. To get you started check out my favourite tahini dressing or this simple vinaigrette.
  

• Although I could go on and on about salads, I want to share one final point. Have you tried nutritional yeast in salads? I love sprinkling nutritional yeast over salads or incorporating it into vinaigrettes. It not only adds a hit of cheesy/umami flavour but packs nearly 4 grams of protein per tablespoon! 

If you’re looking for more ideas and inspiration for your summer salads, be sure to check out the recipe index on my site (search in both the “mains” and the “salad” section) where I have lots of hearty salad inspiration.

I’m also hosting a culinary series this summer focussed on hearty salads. In these online cooking classes I’ll share lots more tips and tricks for how to make delicious salads that are sure to become staples in your house! Visit the registration page for more details and to see the full menu.