Requesting non-leafy, low-carb, cold salad recipes (or like)

June 24, 2019 5:59 AM

Basically during weekdays my schedule is such that I don't spend much time at home, I just walk through the door at night, shower, and go to sleep. This makes dinner/supper annoying because I don't want to chow down on anything too heavy or flavorful immediately before sleeping. If "light on the stomach" works as a description I'll probably like it.

It's logistically difficult to squeeze a sit-down meal in for the prior 8-9 hours, just on-the-go type stuff like nuts and bars but I can only have so much of those. "Intermittent fasting" and possibly soylent-type stuff are the trivial solutions but I'd like others as well.

So far I've found cottage cheese and tofu both make good salad bases, making variations by mixing and matching various picked/raw/cooked veg such as giardiniera, olives, steamed broccoli/etc, cucumbers, [packaged so as to not turn on me] guacamole, etc.

There is, of course, a List of Salads wikipedia page. But any personal recommendations would be nice.

The lower the carbs the better. I'm "keto" - as in I don't really care too much about ketosis or whatever and while I try to stick to <20g carbs/day it's not like A Big Deal if some cottage cheese or vegetables puts me a little above that because I probably wouldn't even notice. (incidentally due to this and various other reasons sodium isn't an issue)

posted by ToddBurson to Food & Drink (24 answers total)

One of my favourites is to roast zucchini/onions/peppers/eggplant on a sheet on the weekend. Drizzle with balsamic and olive oil, and then all you need is to add in anything you like with them. I do chickpeas but they are not low-carb, so maybe goat cheese and sunflower seeds.

Those coleslaw mixes that are fresh are also a base I use. I've grated cheese into them (smoked gouda is nice) and again some seeds for crunch, then mix with whatever dressing you find is requiring your keto requirements. (I just go to balsamic and oil, but something with mayo would work too.) Shredded kale also works and we have a "rainbow salad" mix at our store which is grated broccoli, cauliflower, carrot and cabbage or something like that. There's a broccoli slaw as well.

If you want to grate or spiralize, grated beet and carrot are good, again not sure how hardcore your keto requirement is. Spiralized zucchini noodles with a peanut sauce and thinly sliced red pepper + green onions might make a nice 'thai noodle' salad. (I would put mango in, but, keto.)
posted by warriorqueen at 6:18 AM on June 24, 2019 [3 favorites]

Not sure if these are too heavy or not or exciting to your taste buds, but pan roasted tempeh, thinly sliced and diced and roasted with canola or a high temp oil, is a flavorful thing to have in salads. You'll need to pre-roast and then cool maybe. I also like small fish steaks (salmon, tuna, etc.) again super easy to pre-fry and then eat cold over the next 24 hours. You can just flake off as much as you want. FWIW I get bags of individually wrapped frozen fish steaks from Aldi they are generally 4-6 oz each.

If you like kimchi that could be a good livener-upper for whatever you are fixing. Add according to taste.

A little miso soup can be very satisfying, you can make as much as you want, such as a very small cup, it's super quick. I'd boil the water with the dashi, and the pull a bit of this to add to the miso paste, and then add back to the pan and remove from the heat.
posted by carter at 6:22 AM on June 24, 2019 [2 favorites]

Congratulations! You have just joined the tribe of Mefites to whom I have recommended the Moosewood Daily Special cookbook.

It's nothing but soups and salads. It's called "Daily Special" because the Moosewood restaurant usually has two or three "soups of the day" and "salads of the day", and they have a lunch special where you can get a cup of one of the soups and a side-serving of one of the salads as a combo plate, with the option of bread on the side. Several of the salads are bean and grain based, and meant to be main-dish salads, but there are also a number of single-vegetable or two-or-three-vegetable based that are meant to be side-dish salads. There are also some seafood salads (the Moosewood's definition of "vegetarianism" includes eating fish, eggs, and dairy).

Many of the salads are fridge-stable for a week or so. I try to make a batch of a couple of the salads on the weekend during the summer, and then throughout the week packing my bag lunch for work is simply a matter of "lemme do a serving of salad A and a serving of salad B, done". And dinner is often the same, sometimes with the addition of a broiled chicken leg or something.

I make no claims that everything in there is going to suit what you're looking for, but odds are great that several of the entries will.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:22 AM on June 24, 2019 [5 favorites]

And when I say "fried fish" I mean salted/peppered and seared in olive oil ...
posted by carter at 6:23 AM on June 24, 2019

Have you ever heard of poke? The idea is basically sushi, except instead of being wrapped in a roll, it's just all sitting in a bowl. It's amazing. If you're not a fish eater, my favorite poke restaurant also offers grilled chicken - I do one with brown rice, chicken, pickled red onions, avocado, radish, and a Sriracha mayo. Endlessly customizable. The rice might make it a little higher in carbs than you'd like, but it's worth it to me.

Bean salads are another good option. We've got one in my fridge right now that's black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, tomato, red pepper, green onion, feta cheese, and Italian salad dressing. Nice and cool for summer, but filling and yummy.
posted by kevinbelt at 6:24 AM on June 24, 2019

On the weekend, roast an eggplant and refrigerate it wrapped well. On Monday or Tuesday, at dinner time, cut up and put it in the food processor with lemon juice, salt, garlic and olive oil. I like to leave the skin on it. The delicious mound of "eggplant caviar" (or a kind of baba ghanouj if you want to add tahini to it) is lovely with feta or goat cheese and pre cut-up veggies for a nice light supper.
posted by nantucket at 6:30 AM on June 24, 2019 [2 favorites]

Yes, bean salads with keto-friendly beans/ingredients. And if you are into dressings, this is where you can get some real good deliciousness going.

And also, if you are into that sort of thing, pickled herring (the stuff in glass jars, not cans). E.g. (I'm on a roll now.) Anchovies can be a good salad booster. Again I'd buy the ones in glass jars.
posted by carter at 6:31 AM on June 24, 2019

I LOVE this curry tofu salad. I add cashews and red bell pepper to it.
posted by metasarah at 6:31 AM on June 24, 2019 [1 favorite]

Roasted beets are not zero carb, but 1/4 cup (raw) only contains 3.25 grams of carbs. They are dense in nutrition, and you can roast with olive oil, salt and pepper, and any herb or seasoning you like. I made some yesterday (golden beets) with rosemary and garlic powder. I will be putting them on my lunchtime salads this week.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 6:45 AM on June 24, 2019

I am a HUGE fan of sesame broccoli salad.

- Raw broccoli flourets
- minced red onion
- mayo
- sesame oil
- crispy bacon crumbles (plus some of the bacon fat)
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 7:14 AM on June 24, 2019 [5 favorites]

How do you feel about mung beans? The raw, dry seed is 62g carbs and 24g protein. When you soak them overnight, the water content changes dramatically, and I am not sure what the nutritional profile changes might be when you sprout them... but that's what you start from.

This salad is a staple in south India:

1/2 cup sprouted whole mung beans (or substitute mung dal - skinned and split mung beans - soaked overnight)
1 cup diced cucumber
1 green chili, sliced thinly (and seeded, if you want to reduce spice, or leave this out entirely)
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp fresh grated coconut
1/4 lime, squeezed
salt to taste

Fridge stable for several days. The sprouted mung on its own will go a couple of weeks in the fridge just fine; it's the cilantro and cucumber that reduce fridge-life.
posted by MiraK at 7:32 AM on June 24, 2019 [3 favorites]

I don't like lettuce so most of my salad bases these days are spiralized veggies: carrots, zucchini, cucumber, yellow squash, beets, jicama, etc etc. Basically anything firm will spiralize. Just a light toss with a vinaigrette, some walnuts or sunflower seeds, a few cubes of tofu or soft cheese (goat cheese is nice), fresh herbs to your liking. It's very mix and match and endlessly variable. I find that fresh herbs can really make the salad; they're worth the money to buy fresh or the time to grow and really help a salad have that "light" feeling.
posted by juniperesque at 7:43 AM on June 24, 2019 [2 favorites]

In summer I like to make ceviche. It will keep for a few days in the fridge. I always put lots of vegetables and fruit in mine - typically I'll do cubed fish, tomatoes, red onion, avocado, mango, jalapeno, cilantro, all in the juice of ~12 limes and maybe 1-2 of another citrus fruit for variety. It's very adaptable though (so for example you can always omit the mango if it's too carby for your needs). If the raw fish makes you nervous, you can always switch to cooked shrimp or something. I've even made a vegan version with no fish at all, still very good.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:52 AM on June 24, 2019 [2 favorites]

In summer I always have a container of basic Israeli salad in the fridge. Cucumbers (Persian ideally; second choice = English; try to avoid the American ones) peeled; tomatoes (I use grape tomatoes;) red or yellow bell pepper. Everything diced up fine, between 1/4-1/2 inch; and uniform. This keeps nicely for a week if you don't add dressing to the main container; and you can use it for a lot of useful low carb stuff, for example:

egg salad: peel and crush a couple hard boiled eggs with some mayonnaise and salt or garlic salt and a diced pickle. Add plenty of salad. Et voila.

tuna/canned salmon salad: same, plus diced celery.

chicken salad: same.

a tasty thing tho somewhat carbier: dice up a mango and some fresh mint and add that to the salad.

salad+hummus. A good thing to eat sitting on your own couch watching TV and not giving AF. No prep if you use purchased hummus.

Crucially, don't add any dressing or salt to the main container as that will make it not keep well. Just take out as much as you're going to eat and add your salt or dressing to that. It takes a while to dice all that veg which is why I like to make a container at the start of the week.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:33 AM on June 24, 2019 [9 favorites]

One of our summer can't-bear-cooking recipes is a highly-modified/riffed version of hiyashi chuka. We use spiralized cucumber and zucchini instead of noodles, also these kelp noodles when I remember to get them (these are also great for low carb poke bowls, in place of vermicelli in Vietnamese food, etc). (Note: avoid fake crab, it's so carby.)

My new evangelism is the air fryer, which now lives permanently on the counter next to my Instant Pot. I can roast a ton of vegetables - way more than I can get done in the oven - in an hour or 90 minutes, in 10-15-minute rounds. I use those vegetables and a silicone cake pan to make fritattas, which we eat for breakfast all week, but unless eggs generally are too heavy for you might be not-precisely-a-salad but certainly edible either hot or cold.

This is a keto version of the sweet broccoli salad that's a staple of potlucks and picnics now.

The mustard vinaigrette from this Blue Apron recipe is good on basically everything. I could eat a meal of just the broccoli and dressing, and probably have. This is one of my husband's go-to meals and I always ask him to quadruple the dressing recipe (but cutting half the vinegar with water because I'm delicate) so we have extra in the fridge. Honestly, you could toss styrofoam in it and it would be delicious, if chewy. Just roasted vegetables with that dressing, and some feta or goat cheese if you're so moved, would be great.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:54 AM on June 24, 2019 [3 favorites]

These aren't fancy but they are easy and tasty. I just eyeball the amounts. These will keep in the fridge for a few days.

Shrimp salad:
tail-off cooked shrimp (I buy frozen, the kind labeled "salad shrimp" is perfect for this)
chopped celery (some chopped cucumber would be good in here as well)
mayo (thin with a little water or almond milk)
season with dry dill weed and a little sweetener to taste

Salmon salad:
canned salmon (with bones & skin left in, you just smoosh it all up with a fork. The bones are edible)
chopped celery (and/or any other crunchy veggies you like such as green pepper, snap peas, onions, etc)
mayo
mustard (I like a nice grainy mustard but you do you)
dill weed to taste
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 9:01 AM on June 24, 2019 [5 favorites]

Oh, and here's a trashy thing I eat, that is filling and light: low-fat ham lunch meat wrapped around a spoonful of coleslaw. I'll eat a couple of these roll-ups and maybe a hard-boiled egg or two if I feel like it for a light supper or even breakfast.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 9:04 AM on June 24, 2019 [2 favorites]

Herb and Radish Salad with Feta and Walnuts

1 cup walnuts
2 bunches small radishes, trimmed (about 15 radishes)
3 Persian cucumbers, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
3 ounces sheep’s milk feta cheese, crumbled (preferably French feta)
½ cup chives cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 bunch)
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender stems (about 1 bunch)
1 cup loosely packed dill fronds, stems removed (about 1 large bunch)
½ cup loosely packed mint leaves (about 1 small bunch)
2 sprigs tarragon, leaves stripped

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden. Let cool, then chop roughly. Place in a sieve and shake away loose skin and crumbs. Set chopped nuts aside.

Use a sharp knife or mandoline to slice the radishes and cucumbers into thin coins roughly 1/8-inch thick. Place in a medium bowl. Add walnuts.

In a small glass or jar, whisk together lemon juice and olive oil to make the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Just before serving, season radishes, cucumbers and walnuts with a pinch of salt and dress lightly with 3 to 4 tablespoons of vinaigrette. Toss well to combine. Add crumbled cheese and toss gently to combine without breaking the cheese down too much. Arrange in a loose mound in a shallow serving bowl (or on a platter).

Place herbs in the mixing bowl, season with a pinch of salt, and dress very lightly with about 1 tablespoon vinaigrette. Toss to combine, then pile the herb salad atop the radishes and cucumbers. Serve immediately.
posted by something something at 9:27 AM on June 24, 2019 [4 favorites]

I enjoy a good lentil salad. Cook up some brown/green lentils. Create or buy a vinaigrette dressing. Mix that with the lentils, and add in any combo of the following: artichoke hearts, feta, crumbled bacon, diced onion, shredded carrot.

It will keep for 4-5 days, and you can just nom on it when you want.
posted by hydra77 at 9:43 AM on June 24, 2019

One of my favorite meals:

Shredded or chopped cabbage
Topped with couple of fried eggs
And avocado slices
And escabeche (Mexican salsa bar pickles)
And dressing (I like hot spicy fermented pickle juice, olive oil, and/or homemade sour cream ranch, ymmv)
posted by hungrytiger at 11:06 AM on June 24, 2019

One of the favorite salads in our family is cauliflower salad: first make a dressing of yogurt, mayo, finely chopped onion, mustard, salt and white pepper. Add cauliflower florets, mix well and let sit for a while to marinate the onion and cauliflower. Eat it as is, or add some fresh peas and/or cherry tomatoes and/or parsley as a garnish, both for color and freshness. It keeps for a couple of days in the refrigerator.
I didn't write amounts/proportions because we vary them wildly. And sometimes we'll use a bit of garlic, and other times we'll use creme fraiche instead of yogurt, then it keeps a bit better. You could probably try with cream cheese, too.

Here, you can easily buy smoked creme cheese. If you can find it where you live, you can make summer salad: smoked cream cheese mixed with mayo, yogurt, chopped cucumber, radishes, finely chopped chives and salt and pepper. Again, no proportions, because it's a taste and health thing, but it needs to be heavy on the veg. Keeps well in the fridge. It's probably nice with normal cream cheese too.
posted by mumimor at 1:14 PM on June 24, 2019

Slice up an organic Fuji apple and eat it with honey roasted peanut butter, the end. I grind my peanut butter at Winco. Whole grain toast with fruit butter and feta cheese, or fresh tomatoes and feta cheese. Or a piece of cold chicken with sliced kosher pickle and sliced tomatoes with mayo.
posted by Oyéah at 5:14 PM on June 24, 2019

I'm a big fan of this Make-Ahead Broccoli and Quinoa Salad. Definitely follow the video about how to cut the broccoli, which makes a huge difference. It keeps really well and is very versatile. You can play with the ratio of quinoa:broccoli to make it more keto friendly. It basically holds to the rule of one fruit, one nut and one cheese over a base (broccoli + quinoa) and an acid/fat dressing.
posted by hooray at 8:55 PM on June 24, 2019 [1 favorite]

Today for dinner we had a salad of finely sliced raw cabbage, wakame, soba noodles and a dressing with sesame oil, light soy sauce rice vinegar, lemon juice and very finely chopped fresh onion + a tiny amount of salt and sugar. It would have been even better with a bit of ginger and garlic. And I forgot to add toasted sesame seeds, they are good for both taste and crunch. This is something that keeps very well and even improves over night. I think it would still be great without the noodles or a very reduced amount of noodles. I love this salad for when it is too hot for real cooking.
It is important to slice the cabbage and seaweed very finely, but if you have a sharp knife, it isn't difficult at all. You should have sharp knives anyway.
posted by mumimor at 1:17 PM on June 25, 2019