Healthy Grain Salad Recipes

The nutty flavor of red quinoa pairs beautifully with fresh strawberries, edamame, almonds and toasted coconut in this cold grain salad. Be sure to chill at least 2 hours so the salad can absorb the full flavor of the balsamic dressing.

Here's a great example of how to cook a healthy dish in minutes--simply cook the bacon in the same pan as the barley to enrich the flavor, add some purchased cooked shrimp, a few aromatic vegetables, and you've got dinner (or a hearty potluck dish) in no time flat.

After a good charring in the skillet, kale stems add a tender-crisp bite and touch of smokiness to this healthy vegetarian kale salad. Feel free to use this healthy recipe as a guide; swap out the farro for any whole grain or the squash for any roasting vegetable, such as cauliflower.

Lemon, oregano and feta add zing to broccoli rabe tossed with whole-wheat orzo.

Leftover cooked chicken? This healthy grain-salad recipe is the perfect way to use it up. We like the color of red quinoa, but yellow works well too.

Quinoa, a super food from South America, is packed with protein and fiber. Toasting it gives it a slightly nutty taste, a complement to the walnuts and a foil to the lemony tarragon dressing. Try this salad over greens of any sort: fresh arugula, Boston lettuce leaves or wilted spinach.

This spicy salad with little jewels of dried apricot in the mix would be welcome for lunch or a simple weekday dinner.

Sesame oil and nori (dried seaweed) give this healthy grain-salad recipe Asian flair. Serve as a vegetarian main dish or as a side for grilled shrimp or baked chicken.

This healthy Mediterranean salad makes a great vegetarian main dish. Or you could serve smaller portions as a side dish with grilled chicken, beef, or pork.

This healthy roasted chicken recipe is perfect for a simple supper or on special occasions. Arrange the chicken pieces on top of a grain salad studded with pomegranate seeds and roasted almonds for a pretty and comforting dish. Add green beans or roasted Brussels sprouts for an easy crowd-pleasing meal.

Serve this Scandinavian-inspired salad for lunch on the patio, accompanied by some good rye bread or rye crisps.

Persimmons add sweetness to this tossed green salad that sports a healthy salad dressing. A sprinkling of crispy fried quinoa adds unexpected crunch, putting the salad over the top in the best way.

This healthy dinner salad recipe gets its staying power from protein-packed shrimp and fiber-rich barley. With a simple red-wine vinaigrette, this quick salad makes just one serving but is easy to double or triple. Look for precooked beets with other prepared vegetables in the produce department.

In this gluten-free grain-salad recipe we use sorghum, a hearty small yellow grain that has a chewy texture. Here it's tossed with a cider vinaigrette, shrimp and vegetables. Serve as a main dish or as a side for grilled chicken or steak.