Healthy Power Salad Recipes

August 27, 2019
Make a satisfying dinner with our healthy power salad recipes.These salads have more than just veggies, they're a full meal. You'll get healthy protein from chicken, shrimp, tofu and beans to help keep you feeling full and satisfied. Plus fruit, starchy vegetables or whole grains to round out your salad.Watch Video
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Grilled Halibut Salad Nicoise

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Salad nicoise, a classic French salad, is typically made with tuna. Here we use sweet grilled halibut (in season in midsummer) or striped bass. To make it quicker, substitute 2 or 3 cans of drained chunk light tuna. Or skip the fish altogether for a vegetarian main-course salad. We call for serving it on a platter, but it's just as beautiful individually plated. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

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Vietnamese Grapefruit & Pork Salad (Pork Goi Buoi)

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Goi buoi is a Vietnamese salad typically made with pomelo, a thick-skinned but super-sweet citrus fruit. In this healthy salad recipe, we use grapefruit because it's easier to find. Plus, it lends a tangy, acidic flavor to balance the vegetables.

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The EatingWell Cobb Salad

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This Cobb salad is true to the original with all the good stuff--chicken, eggs, bacon, avocado and a tangy dressing. But we cut the saturated fat in half and doubled the amount of healthy monounsaturated fat. We've left the blue cheese optional, but the salad is so nutritious you might just want to go ahead and indulge yourself with a little bit anyway.

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Orange-Walnut Salad with Chicken

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Orange segments, toasted walnuts and tangy goat cheese brighten up this simple salad. Try this salad for a take-along lunch. To keep the salad greens from getting soggy, pack the greens, salad toppings and dressing in separate containers and toss them together just before eating.

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Grilled Chicken Taco Salad

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Peppery arugula, grilled corn and a tangy lime vinaigrette give this healthy taco salad recipe a serious upgrade. This recipe is the perfect vehicle for using the crushed-up tortilla chips at the bottom of the bag.

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Shrimp Pad Thai Salad

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Transform pad thai into a healthy salad by swapping sliced cabbage "noodles" for the rice noodles--and save more than 100 calories. Look for sustainable shrimp certified by an independent agency, such as the Marine Stewardship Council. If you can't find it, wild shrimp from North America is likely to be sustainably caught.

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Falafel Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

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Deep-fried falafel can be a total grease bomb. But these pan-seared falafel still get crispy in just a few tablespoons of oil with equally satisfying results. Be sure to use dried, instead of canned, chickpeas in this healthy recipe--canned chickpeas add too much moisture.

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Kale Salad with Spiced Tofu & Chickpeas

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To top this zesty raw kale salad recipe, we toss diced tofu and chickpeas with a flavorful Moroccan-inspired spice mixture before roasting. The hot oven turns the outside of the tofu crisp and the inside pleasantly chewy.

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Feta, Corn & Chicken Salad with Smoky Tomato Dressing

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This hearty chicken salad recipe is full of grilled sweet corn, scallions, salty feta, escarole, pine nuts and spicy chicken. Smoked paprika gives the tomato dressing a bacon-like flavor.

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Apple & Grilled Chicken Salad with Cheddar Toasts

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This hearty grilled chicken salad recipe highlights the classic combination of sharp Cheddar and sweet crunchy apples. For a fabulous starter anytime you entertain, simply skip the chicken.

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Mediterranean Tuna Antipasto Salad for Two

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Capers, red onion and fresh herbs give canned tuna and beans a light, fresh taste. Here we serve the tuna salad on a bed of greens. It also works well stuffed into a pita for a sandwich. Give it some extra kick with a pinch of crushed red pepper or cayenne. Serve with olive bread.

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Grilled Tempeh Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing

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This bold sesame-ginger dressing recipe is perfect with this salad of grilled tempeh, pineapple and crisp snow peas. If you can't find mixed Asian greens, try another spicy green, such as arugula.

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Chopped Chef's Salad

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We gave a classic chef's salad recipe a healthy makeover with our own homemade healthy Thousand Island dressing recipe and reduced-sodium cheese and turkey. Those swaps slashed 260 calories and nearly a day's worth of sodium (2,131 mg!) per serving compared with traditional recipes.

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Spring Roll Salad

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All the tastes, color and fun of a spring roll without all the work! This healthy salad recipe is bursting with the colors of rainbow from generous amounts of fresh vegetables, shrimp and whole grains all topped with a peanut dressing for the ultimate satisfying salad.

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Chicken & Farro Herb Salad

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With tons of fresh herbs, arugula, olives and farro, this healthy chicken salad recipe makes a wonderful potluck platter or healthy dinner. We love the nutty flavor and quick cooking time of farro but other whole grains, such as freekeh, bulgur or couscous, are also good choices.

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Southwestern Salad with Black Beans

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Here we top salad greens with black beans, sweet corn and grape tomatoes and bring it all together with a tangy avocado-lime dressing for a Mexican-inspired salad. Try this salad for a take-along lunch. To keep the salad greens from getting soggy, pack the greens, salad toppings and dressing in separate containers and toss them together just before eating.

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Smoked Trout, Potato & Arugula Salad

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In this healthy dinner salad recipe, tender new potatoes and baby arugula add a creamy texture and peppery flavor to the smokiness of the trout. You can hard-boil the eggs ahead of time, but if you cook them while you steam your potatoes, they'll still be a little warm when you serve the salad, which makes it extra special.

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Hoisin-Sesame Salad with Baked Tofu

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This Asian-inspired salad is made satisfying with savory baked tofu; carrots and snap peas add crunch. Try this salad for a take-along lunch. To keep the salad greens from getting soggy, pack the greens, salad toppings and dressing in separate containers and toss them together just before eating.

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Curried Salad with Egg & Cashews

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Here we toss fresh salad greens with a light and creamy dressing, then top with chopped hard-boiled egg, crunchy bell pepper, dried cranberries and toasted cashews for a satisfying vegetarian salad. Try this salad for a take-along lunch. To keep the salad greens from getting soggy, pack the greens, salad toppings and dressing in separate containers and toss them together just before eating.

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Shrimp & Vegetable Red Rice Salad

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This healthy rice salad is loaded with vegetables and protein. Serve it as a healthy dinner or pack it up and take it along for your next picnic. Bhutanese red rice has a nutty taste and pleasant chewy texture, but any type of whole-grain rice tastes great in this hearty salad recipe. Check package directions: depending on the variety, red rice cooks for 20 to 50 minutes.

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Spinach & Frisee Salad with Tangerines & Coriander-Crusted Scallops

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The flavors of coriander and tangerine complement the sweet scallops in this easy-to-make dinner salad. Frisée has a big flavor and a sturdy texture, which stands up to the warm scallops. If you can't find frisée, make your own mix of greens; escarole and curly endive are great ones to include.

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Shrimp Panzanella

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This fresh-tasting panzanella (Italian bread-and-tomato salad) is made with shrimp, olives and plenty of herbs. You'll need olives packed in flavorful brine to make the dressing. For convenience, buy shrimp already peeled and cooked. Sometimes the best-tasting precooked shrimp is sold frozen. Soak in cold water for 10 minutes to defrost. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

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Southwestern Salmon Cobb Salad

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Here's a healthy twist on a classic Cobb salad recipe: we skip the bacon, getting smoky flavor from chipotle peppers instead, and add salmon for a power-protein kick. Look for small cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce with Mexican foods at large supermarkets.

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Chicken Salad with Pecans & Dried Cherries

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This healthy chicken salad recipe is sweet and crunchy thanks to the addition of heart-healthy pecans and fiber-rich dried cherries. If you have cooked chicken breast on hand, skip Step 1 and use about 3 cups chopped chicken in Step 3.

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8-Layer Taco Salad

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This gorgeous and colorful 8-layer taco salad recipe is made healthier by using ground turkey in place of beef, adding Greek yogurt and bumping up the amount of vegetables. Serve this salad in a clear glass bowl and you'll have an eye-catching party-worthy dinner or potluck side in just 30 minutes.

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