Salad Recipes

Salad recipes are a must for any healthy diet. Vegetable Salads are a great way to eat your vegetables. If you have a bigger variety of salads to choose from, you are more likely to eat different salads everyday.



Eating the same salads again and again gets quite boring and then you may skip eating the salad and end up eating very little quantity of food.



In this section, you will find some good, tasety vegetable salad-recipes and they are very simple to prepare. These salads are from different regions of India. Some of them use seasonal vegetables.  You may also use Lentils which are available the whole year through. So enjoy your salads and see to it that you stay healthy eating good healthy food.


In addition to your regular salads that you prepare, definitely you can try doing these recipes too for that extra- special taste and flavour.  I am sure  you will end up eating more healthy food quite often. 

1.  Cucumber Salad

Cucumber salad is a very easy to make salad. It is a easiest one among the salad recipes. It looks and tastes fresh and keeps you cool too.



It is possible to make this salad by adding other vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, onions etc.


You can add the vegetables that you would normally make salad with. It is a popular one from the Indian salads. I am sure this Salad looks inviting and tasty. 


Ingredients

• Chopped cucumber - 2 cups
• Salt - 1/4th teaspoon
• fresh grated coconut - 2-3 tablespoons
• sugar - 1/4 th teaspoon
• lime juice - 1 teaspoon.
• Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped

Ingredients for Seasoning:

• Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Green or Red chilli - 1 or 2 according to taste, slit in two.
• Curry leaves - 4-5

Make Seasoning 

• Heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds.
• When they stop cracling, add chilli pieces.
• Add asafoetidas, curry leaves. Take off fire. Let cool.

Final mixing

• In a salad bowl, add cucumber, salt, sugar,coconut, coriander leaves, lime juice. Mix well.
• Add the cooled seasoning. Mix well again.
• Serve immedietly or Cool in fridge for 30 minutes andserve

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2.  Cabbage Salad

This Cabbage recipe is easy to make. It looks and tastes fresh too. Cabbage is a negative calorie food. It helps you in weightloss if you use it regularly in a healthy way. This salad recipe is my husband's favourite recipe and our family loves it. Thye wouldn't mind having this sald everyday! I am doubly sure that you will like it too.


We need roasted peanuts for this recipe. The use of roasted and powdered ground nuts [peanuts] gives it an added special taste.


You can roast the peanuts yourself or get the ready roasted peanuts and grind them at home. Do not powder them to a paste. If you are using salted peanuts, remember to add less salt to the salad accordingly.

Ingredients

• Grated Cabbage - 2 cups
• Roasted and powdered peanuts – 2 table spoons.
• Salt - 1/4th teaspoon
• fresh grated coconut(optional) - 2 tablespoons
• sugar - 1/4 th teaspoon
• lime juice - 1 teaspoon.
• Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped

Ingredients for Seasoning:

• Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Green or Red chili - 1 or 2 according to taste, slit in two.
• Curry leaves - 4-5

Make Seasoning 

• Heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds.
• When they stop crackling, add chilli pieces.
• Add asafoetida, curry leaves. Take off fire. Let cool.

Final mixing

• In a salad bowl, add grated cabbage, salt, sugar, peanut powder, coconut, coriander leaves, lime juice. Mix well.
• Add the cooled seasoning. Mix well again.
• Serve immediately or Cool in fridge for 30 minutes and serve.

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3. Tomato Salad

Tomato salad is a easy to make salad. It looks colorful, tastes fresh and cool too.

You need roasted peanuts for this recipe. You can roast the peanuts at home or get the roasted peanuts from the store. Grind them to a coarse powder. Do not grind them too much they may turn to a paste.


You can make this peanut powder and keep it for a few days. It can be used for many dishes/salads such as Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

• Chopped tomato - 2 cups
• Salt - 1/4th teaspoon
• fresh grated coconut - 2-3 tablespoons
• sugar - 1/4 th teaspoon
• peanut powder - 2 tbsp.
• Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped

Ingredients for Seasoning:

• Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Green or Red chilli - 1 or 2 according to taste, slit in two.
• Curry leaves - 4-5

Make Seasoning

• Heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds.
• When they stop crackling, add chili pieces.
• Add asafoetids, curry leaves. Take off fire. Let cool.

Final mixing

• In a salad bowl, add tomato, salt, sugar, coconut, coriander leaves. Mix well.
• Add the cooled seasoning. Mix well again.
• Serve immedietly or Cool in fridge for 30 minutes and serve.

Tips: You can also add 1/2 cup chopped onion to this recipe.

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4.  Potato Salad

This potato salad is  an easy-to-prepare , quick recipe. If you have boiled potatoes ready, you can make this salad in two minutes. And you have the salad ready to serve as a side dish to rice or breads.



Everyone loves potatoes, especially children.   Fried potatoes taste good but are not good for your health if you eat them frequently. Boiling potatoes is one way to eat your potatoes without the bad effects of frying them in oil.


You can also make potato curry with boiled potatoes or make them into a vegetable fry.

Ingredients

• Potato – 2 large.
• Plain Yogurt – 1 1/2 cups
• Salt – ½ tsp or to taste
• Sugar[optional] – ¼ teaspoon
• Green chili[optional] – 1 , chopped fine
• Coriander leaves[cilantro] – 1 tbsp chopped.

Ingredients for Seasoning

• Vegetable oil – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
• Asafetida[optional]- a pinch
• Curry leaves[optional] – 4-5 leaves.

Preparation

• Boil potatoes in water till they are done well or pressure cook the potatoes. Let cool and then remove skin.
• Mash the potatoes lightly or you can cube them in bite size pieces if you prefer.
• Beat the yogurt till it is smooth.
• Add the potatoes, salt, sugar, chili and coriander leaves to the curd. Mix well.

Make seasoning

• Heat oil. Add cumin seeds. When they stop spluttering, add asafetida and curry leaves if you are using them.
• Take off fire and let cool a little.
• Add to the salad and mix well.

PS: You can serve this salad at the room temperature or chilled.

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5.  Beetroot Salad

My Beetroot salad is easier and faster. There are many ways to make beetroot salad.



For this recipe, make sure you choose a nice tender red beetroot for this salad. If you are on a raw vegetable diet, this salad is the most ideal one and you will enjoy this beet salad.

Ingredients

• Grated beet - 2 cups
• Fresh lettuce-1/4 cup
• Salt - 1/4th teaspoons
• fresh grated coconut - 2 tablespoons
• sugar - 1/4 th teaspoon
• lime juice - 1 teaspoon.
• Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped

Ingredients for Seasoning

• Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Roasted Peanuts - [optional - for garnishing]
• black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Green or Red chilli(optional) - 1 or 2 according to taste, slit in two.

Make Seasoning

• Heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds.
• When they stop crackling, add chilli pieces.
• Add asafoetida. Take off fire. Let cool.

Final mixing

• In a salad bowl, add grated beet, salt, sugar, coconut, coriander leaves, lime juice together with finely chopped lettuce. Mix well.
• Add the cooled seasoning. Mix well again.
• Serve immedietly or Cool in fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

PS:  You can also serve this salad as a healthy snack or with Steamed rice or bread.

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6.  Bhindi Salad

Ingredients

• bhindi 200gms
• onions 1 large
• oil 1 tablespoon
• curd 1 cup
• cumin powder 1 tablespoon
• coriander powder 1 tablespoon
• turmeric powder 1 teaspoon
• red chilli powder1 teaspoon
• salt to taste
• coriander leaves 1 tablespoon

For Seasoning

• mustard seeds 1tsp
• urad dal1tsp
• curry leaves 4-5

Method

• Cut the bhindi & onions into thin pieces
• Take a kadai ,add the oil & onions
• When the onion turns brown add the bhindi & then add all the above powders & salt to taste.
• Fry it deeply
• Take a small deep pan, add ghee and mustard and when it sputters, add urad dal & curry leaves
• Mix all of them well adding the curd in to it
• Garnish with coriander leaves

Your Bhindi Salad is ready for serving.  You can also have this tasty salad with your Rotis/Chappathis/Rice

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7.  Green Peas Salad

For that very special taste and flavour, here is your most favoured salad, the Green Peas Salad. 


Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg tomatoes [chopped into small pieces]
• 1/4 kg peas [cooked]
• 1/4 kg cucumber [skinned and chopped into small cubes]
• 2 carrots [grated]
• 1/4 kg capsicum [chopped finely]
• 1 bunch of coriander leaves [chopped finely]
• salt and pepper to taste
• juice of one lemon

Method

•  Mix tomatoes, peas and cucumber.
• Add salt and pepper.
•  Mix in the carrots and capsicums.
•  Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Add lime juice.
• This salad also goes well with any Rice

With this, my Posting on Salads comes to a close.  I have given you here some of most healthy/nutritious salads that your entire family would love to relish, including children, ofcourse.  Keep yourself busy in your kitchen while my next item will follow soon...Until then, Deliciously yours.....