Winter vegetables often get overlooked as we reach for cozy soups and comfort foods in the cooler months of the year. A great big winter salad is the perfect way to remind us that we can eat vibrant, colorful, healthful vegetables even when it is cold outside. There are so many options for fresh, seasonal produce that are perfect for showcasing the beauty of a winter salad. Tell me, how do you eat salad in winter? Or do you?
Tara’s Tuesday Tips:
How Do You Eat Salad in Winter?
Sweet corn and watermelon might feel like an eternity away as we patiently await the summer months. But, root vegetables, citrus, and winter greens are very much here to layer in a bowl making it oh so perfect to eat salad in winter time! You will be surprised by the amount of colors, textures, and flavors you can pack into a salad in winter.
One of my favorite places to eat here in Orlando has a salad on their menu called ‘everything but the kitchen sink salad’. I love the name as it reminds me that a salad is simply your favorite things layered in a bowl topped + dressed to perfection! As you can tell, I love a good salad. Not those wimpy diet salads. I can show you how to make a salad you will love in winter or any time of year! Today, lets start with learning how to eat salad in winter in 8 easy steps! Let’s get chopping!
Tara’s Easy Winter Salad Formula
1. Check the Refrigerator:
Leftover or meal-prepped roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes, quinoa, rice, pasta, chickpeas, veggie burgers all make the perfect winter salad topping. At the same time, this helps you use up leftovers that might otherwise go to waste!
2. Check the Pantry:
A can of chickpeas, black beans, lentils, or white beans can all give a winter salad a boost of texture, fiber, or flavor. You could whirl up a batch of hummus to use as a dressing, toast some quinoa for a crunchy topping, even crumble up some tortilla chips or pretzels to jazz it up.
3. Build Your Base:
Many salad greens are at their peak season when the weather is cooler. A perfect time to make a salad out of greens you don’t typically use or have available to you. Mix them! Choose two or even three to combine. Shred them or chop them real small to make it more interesting.
Seasonal winter greens to choose from:
- Kale
- Spinach
- Arugula
- Swiss Chard
- Escarole
- Radicchio
- Collard Greens
- Cabbage
4. Pick a Winter Fruit:
Fruit might not be the first thing you think of as a necessary salad ingredient. Not sure if you are a fan of fruit in your salad? I wasn’t either until I began tryin it, then, I was unstoppable! I added fruit to salads + salsas that I never even dreamed of liking! Don’t have any fresh fruit? Use dried fruit such as dates, cranberries, raisins, or chop up some dried figs. Trust me, give it a try if you never have before.
Winter fruit to choose from:
- Apples
- Citrus
- Pears
- Kiwi
- Pomegranate
5. Fall In Love with Colorful Winter Vegetables:
Just because it is cold outside does not mean that all of your food needs to be a brown, mushy bowl of soup or stew. Seriously stop doing that. This is why you are more tired + more hungry in winter! You forget to eat colorful, vibrant, seasonal foods full of fiber + vitamins! (Read this: Why We Eat More in Winter).
Salad isn’t just lettuce + tomatoes. Try a winter veggie:
- Avocado
- Beets
- Bok Choy
- Broccoli or Broccolini
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Fennel
- Sweet Potatoes
- Winter Squash
- Onions
6. Add the Crunch:
Don’t forget the crunch! There is nothing particularly wintery or seasonal about this part of the salad building formula. However, in my opinion, no good salad exists without a handful or two of a of fun topping. Every good salad has to be balanced with some crunch! Be sure to add these last so they don’t lose their crunchy goodness.
Here are a few of our favorites:
- Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts)
- Seeds (pepitas, hemp, flax, chia)
- Roasted Chickpeas (I choose to make my own but there are many you can find already made in the grocery stores now)
- Toasted quinoa (Mr. MVF’s favorite, our healthified replacement of a crouton)
7. Pick a Protein:
Again, nothing wintery about this. If you are making a side salad, this could be left out as you likely have a veggie burger or perhaps a mock meat that you are pairing your salad with.
If your salad is the main meal, here are a few ideas for your winter salad protein choices:
- Tempeh Croutons
- Veggie crumbles tossed in some spices
- Air Fried Tofu or Crispy Oven Baked Tofu with No Oil
- Veggie Burger chopped up (homemade or store bought will work)
- Air Fryer Roasted Chickpeas
- A scoop of hummus (I have so many yummy recipes on this blog! Start with this one: Oil-Free Green Olive Hummus and the other flavors are all linked in that post!)
- Plant-based meat alternative chik’n nuggets (I like Beyond Meat, Jack + Annies, or or Gardein, read this: Guide To Plant-Based Meat Alternatives)
8. Dress it Up!
Ahhhhh, the dressing. This is the choice that can make or break any salad regardless of the season. Choose wisely! If you are in a pinch, have bottled dressing on hand to grab when you need it. This is one of those things I make on weekends to make my life easier. I make one or two options and then I have it to dunk veggies, spread on a sandwich or veggie burger, or use as a salad dressing. Then, I don’t worry about my dressing turning my salad into a meal that might be overloaded with calories + fat I could have avoided. I wrote an entire article on this topic: How To Build A Healthy Salad (That Still Tastes Good)!
Here are a few dressing ideas to get you going:
Let’s Review Tara’s Easy Winter Salad Formula:
- Check for Salad-Ready Leftovers
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- Build your Base of Winter Greens
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- Layer the In-Season Veggies (raw or cooked)
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- Find a Winter Fruit you Love
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- Pick a Protein
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- Add the Crunch
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- Drizzle with Dressing
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- Eat!
To prepare for salad night in the MVF house, on weekends, I always prepare extra grains, proteins, dressings, and even have air fried veggies ready to go, read this: 10 Things To Do On Weekends To Make Weeknight Cooking Easier.
Love Salad? Me too! 🥗
Find ALL of my salad recipes, dressings, and salad tips right here: My Vegetarian Family Salad Recipes!
Food For Thought
By now I hope you are realizing, salads are not just for summer! My ultimate goal with every Tuesday Tips article I write is to help you find something wonderful to prepare + eat in your kitchen all by yourself or with the people you love. Also to listen to your body + feed it what it needs and wants. Sometimes a salad can give you all of those things in one bowl. After today, I hope you never view a salad as a punishment for your “bad” diet but as a blank canvas for oh so many wonderful creations in winter or any season!
All the best,
Tara 💚
⭐Did you learn how to eat salad in winter? Love it? Leave a comment + a rating below!
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