8 creative salads to help you get to 30 plants a week
Trying to hit that “30 plants a week” goal? Or just need inspiration to help you eat more fruit and veggies generally? We’ve got you covered with these 8 creative and diverse salads – they’re so good you’ll be racing past the finish line in no time at all.
Scenario: you’ve got the memo on the whole ’30 plants a week’ thing. And maybe you’ve read our recent story about gut health. One of the key takeaways? Dieticians now believe the best way to improve your gut health is to eat up to 30 plants a week. The problem is, that sounds like a LOT of leafy green veg for one person to digest …
Luckily, there’s more to the story than that. The goal is to eat 30 plants a week across a variety of categories: not just veggies but fruit, legumes and grains, seeds and nuts, and even herbs and spices. Which means a world of tastes and flavours is available to you.
Even better: we’ve compiled a list of our favourite interesting (read: delicious) salads to give you a head start – and a whole lot of variety to boot. A combination of any four of these salads will put you well within range to reach 30 plants a week, and you’re going to have a wonderful time eating them, too.
1. Tumbled tomato and peach salad
This salad makes the absolute best of peak summer fruit – tomatoes and peaches. And trust us when we say that’s a match made in heaven. To sweeten the deal, we’ve got cucumber for crunch, fennel for complexity and chilli for a bit of a kick. Oh, and did we mention the dreamy, creamy buffalo mozzarella as a reward for all those virtuous veg?
Tumbled tomato-and-peach salad recipe
2. Herby riso pasta salad
Pasta salad, but make it fancy – and raise the bar on your braai salad game at the same time. This version uses riso (rice) pasta instead of the usual fusilli, and the addition of herbs like basil and celery leaves (parsley would also work) really takes it to the next level. Plenty of tasty veggie ingredients here, plus you’ve got a splash of lemon juice for a zesty finish.
3. African grain salad
If your repertoire of grains consists of rice and barley, then we need to have a conversation. There’s a world of ancient (many of them indigenous) grains to be discovered, and they make for a deliciously chewy, nutty additions to your salad game. This green salad makes use of millet and red sorghum, and it boasts a zesty coriander dressing simply loaded with interesting spices.
4. Green Nicola potato salad
Another salad to raise the stakes on your next braai menu. Yes, we all love a traditional potato salad, but wait till you try this version. A riot of tastes and textures, the combo of creamy-textured cooked Nicola potatoes, crunchy cucumber and tangy capers (to name only a few hero ingredients) has us wildly excited. Added to that, the creamy dressing has green goddess vibes, minus the effort.
Green Nicola potato salad recipe
5. Indian-style bean salad
This bean salad also really delivers in the category of braai sides – or as a standalone veggie main. Basically, you start with a can of Woolies three bean-mix, then add fresh ingredients like tomatoes, celery and red onion. Next, you absolutely go to town with the dressing: think coriander, cumin, chillies, lime juice, fresh mint and coriander, all blended with yoghurt. You could serve it with toasted wraps, as suggested, but it also works brilliantly as a side to a lamb chop or grilled steak.
Indian-style bean salad recipe
6. Blood orange, red cabbage and lentil salad
Fact: the blood orange season is short and you are going to want to make the most of it with wonderful salads like this version. (One can only eat so many upside-down blood orange cakes. Also, it’s time to work some legumes into that diet. The great thing about this recipe is that you could easily substitute the blood orange for standard oranges or naartjies (not to mention ruby grapefruit) and still eat like royalty. We particularly like the addition of shelled pistachios for texture, and pomegranate seeds for an earthy sweetness.
Blood orange, red cabbage and lentil salad recipe
7. Quinoa and avocado salad
Does it even qualify as a list of interesting salads if we don’t have avo in the mix? This recipe makes excellent use of the fact that avocado, because of its soft and creamy character, really comes into its own when paired with a nutty grain like quinoa, plus ingredients such as sunflower seeds and baby fennel to provide crunch and contrast.
Quinoa and avocado salad recipe
8. Shaved cauliflower salad
Time to bring in the brassicas! Here we have thin slices of cauliflower, fried until crisp and golden, combined with blistered cherry tomatoes. And you will be dressing this fantastic combination with (wait for it) a mayonnaise infused with charred spring onions and lemon juice … We kid you not. Season with chopped chives and dig in – heartily.
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