What is a salad?

So many people are put off eating salads or get bored of eating them because they equate salads with just being lettuce leaves and a bit of tomato. But they can be so much more with a bit of imagination.
Think puy lentil, pea and beetroot, wholegrain pasta salad with tomato and fresh basil, Thai style Green Papaya salad the list is endless. There really is no excuse to give up on weightloss aims simply because you think that you can't stick to eating salads. Here's two ideas to get you started - don't think of them as being the entire dish but add to a green leaf salad.

Buckwheat & Cucumber salad with mint, pomegrante and orange dressing

Ingredients
Buckwheat (40g per large serving)
1/4 Cucumber, chopped
1 apple, diced
Sprig of fresh mint, finely chopped
1 tsp of pumpkin seeds

Dressing
1 tsp Pomegrante molasses
1 tsp of rice wine vinegar
Juice of one orange

Cook the buckwheat, add the cucumber, feta cheese (or cottage cheese), pumpkin seeds and mint. Combine the dressing, pour on and serve!
Calories: 336 Carbs: 68, Protein:12, Fat:6


Wholegrain pasta with leek, tomato and feta
Ingredients
Wholegrain pasta (40g)
two tomatoes
inch of feta cheese (use cottage cheese if on Fitbitch eating plan)
2 baby leeks, chopped
Salt and Pepper to season
Dress with olive oil or orange juice if on FB eating plan.
Note that olive oil on it's own is 90calories per tbsp, 10g from fat.
Calories: 411 Carbs: 35 Protein: 14 Fat: 23

Cod with spicy celariac & carrot salad

Ingredients
cod fillet
Juice of 1 lime, 1/2 lemon
2inch piece of celeriac
1 carrot
1/2 tsp poppy seeds
1 chilli
Nam pla fish sauce
Rice wine vinegar
tamari

Wrap the cod fillet in tin foil after squeezing with the lemon juice and seasoning with salt and pepper. As it is roasting in the oven start cooking the quinoa and add the broad beans in the last five minutes of cooking.
Meanwhile grate the carrot and celeriac. In a separate bowl make the dressing by finely chopping the chilli and garlic, then adding the fish sauce, rice wine vinegar and tamari. Finally add the lime juice. Taste and adjust accordingly.
Add the poppy seeds, dressing and mint and combine. Serve with the quinoa and fish when ready.

Add the poppy seeds to the salad and pour over the dressing.