Salads for a Man’s Table

Posted on May 3, 2011 in Top-10's | 0 comments

Who said real men don’t eat salad? Here are 10 great salads that will score points on any man’s table. They are simple to prepare and, for the most part, help watch the calories as well.

1.Tex-Mex Fiesta Salad

Here’s a salad that even a Super Bowl party wouldn’t mind having join the fun. It’s healthy, full of flavor, and reasonably low in calories (less than 500). Just combine ingredients, toss with dressing and serve immediately.

Ingredients:

• Baby Greens … 3 ounces
• Black Beans, cooked … 2 ounces
• Corn Kernels, grilled … 1 ounce
• 3 small Tomatoes, diced
• Red Onion, finely diced … 1/2 ounce
• Sunflower Seeds, toasted … 1/2 ounce
• 1/5 Avocado, thinly sliced
• Fresh Cilantro, minced … 1 teaspoon
• Lemon Juice … 1.5 ounces
• Low-sugar BBQ Sauce … 1 ounce

Optional:

Add 2 ounces of Jalapeno Jack Cheese (additional 200 calories)

2. Steak-on-the-side Salad

Most men just have to have meat or it isn’t a meal. This sirloin steak salad is the best of both worlds with everything that is good for you and that essential steak on the side as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lb beef sirloin steak, 1 ½ inches thick
• 1 jar (4 ½ ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced into thin rings
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup salad oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon onion salt
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon tarragon leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Lettuce cups
• Cherry tomatoes

Instructions:

Set oven to broil. Broil meat about 4 inches from heat until medium to medium rare for 14 minutes per side; let cool. Cut meat into half-inch strips. Arrange steak in baking dish. Position mushrooms on meat and top with peppers. Combine vinegar, oil and seasonings; pour over meat and vegetables. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, spooning marinade over vegetables occasionally. Drain vegetables and arrange on one side of salad plate. Arrange strips of meat beside vegetables and garnish with tomatoes.

3.Salad With A Bite

This salad fits all the requirements for healthy but won’t let you forget you ate it an hour later.

Ingredients:

• 3 strips of bacon
• Hummus
• Hot Mustard
• Green leaf lettuce
• Cucumber
• Carrots
• Celery
• Bell Pepper
• Sun dried tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Fry the bacon and save the bacon grease. In a large container (with a lid), stir together a large spoonful of hummus with a few squirts of mustard and 1 TBSP of the bacon grease. Add water to thin to dressing consistency. Add lettuce, chopped veggies, crumbled bacon, and sprinkle a generous serving of cheese top. Place the lid on the container and shake.

4. Steak and Potato Salad

What more needs to be said!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound grilled Flank steak
• 6 large new or red potatoes, scrubbed well
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cooked green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
• 1 container (6 ounces) French-fried onion rings, divided
• ½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Cracked Peppercorn Dressing
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 6 cups torn Romaine lettuce leaves

Instructions:

Place potatoes in a pot with enough salted water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool. Arrange steak, potatoes, beans, mushrooms, ½ cup onion rings and bell pepper over lettuce leaves in a large bowl. Serve with dressing on the side and top with remaining onion rings.

5. Italian Poor Man’s Salad

Instructions:

This is a traditional quick meal from Italy that takes very little effort to prepare. Take well shaped tomatoes, cut in half crossways, scoop out seeds, sprinkle some sea salt and place on a medium hot grill.

When the tomatoes absorb their own juice, add a spoonful of olive oil in each one and leave them on the grill for 10 another minutes. Take the tomatoes off the grill; place them on a plate, a little chopped parsley and the juice of half a lemon. That’s it.

6.Shrimp Tostada Salad

This recipe makes a salad in its own edible bowl. It takes a little preparation time but is well worth the effort.

Ingredients:

• 4 (6-inch) hard corn tortillas
• 3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 4 (6-inch) hard corn tortillas
• 1 pound shrimp, cooked, cooled, deveined and split lengthwise
• 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 to 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch rings
• 1 1/2 cups guacamole
• 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch rings
• 1 cup guacamole

Instructions:

Place a tortilla for each of four servings on a salad plate. Make layers of shredded lettuce, shrimp and tomatoes, with lettuce on top. Salt & pepper. Top each stack with a red bell pepper ring and fill each ring with guacamole. Garnish with a shrimp and a tortilla chip.

7. Easy Caesar

Most men like quick and easy and this light salad fits the bill.

Ingredients:

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup Caesar salad dressing
• 4 cups torn Romaine lettuce
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup croutons
• 1/4 cup bacon bits

Instructions:

Marinate chicken for 30 minutes in 1/2 cup Caesar dressing. Cook chicken in a skillet for 7 minutes per side on medium heat. Combine lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons, and bacon bits. Add remaining 1/4 cup dressing to salad. Cut cooked chicken into strips and place on top.
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These last three only take 5 minutes to put together and offer enough flavor to please the man in all of us.

8. 5 Minute Taco Salad

• 5 cups torn romaine lettuce
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 3/4 cup Chunky Salsa
• 1/2 cup Mexican Style Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese
• 1/4 cup Ranch Dressing
• 1 cup tortilla chips, broken

9. 5 Minute Touch of Greece Salad

• 4 cups of your favorite lettuce
• 4 oz baked salmon (great use of leftovers!)
• ½ oz crushed smoked almonds
• ¼ avocado, cubed
• 1 oz feta
• 4 grape tomatoes sliced in half
• Greek Dressing of your choice