In this article on legume salads, we propose some ideas to prepare your salads at home.
So we are going to propose some ideas.
How to Prepare Legume Salad?
The fundamental thing, choose the main ingredient: the legume.
Chickpeas, lentils, beans, broad beans, green or yellow soybeans …
Organize your shopping list so that each day you can enjoy a different legume so that you wouldn’t get bored of eating salad every day.
We can start from the legume dry so that we will have to cook it previously.
Chickpeas, beans, and soybeans, it is recommended to soak 12 hours before to minimize the cooking time and also make it more digestive.
Lentils do not need to be soaked beforehand.
Once the legume is soaked it is time to cook it.
Here we also have two options:
- cook them in a casserole over low heat, for an average of two hours,
- or use a pressure cooker, so that in half an hour we have the legume ready to add to our summer salads.
The cooking time is approximate, although the beans and chickpeas are ready in about 30 minutes, the lentils will be ready in less than 15.
If you have little time or if you want to save this step, currently you can find already cooked legumes that are very practical and convenient when preparing a quick dish and not falling into unhealthy processed food.
Huercasa in this case offers us the legume ready to eat without any additive and totally natural, as well as salads already ready so that you only have to worry about choosing the company and the place where you can enjoy them.
Ingredients for Your Legume Salad:
Once we have the legume cooked, it is time to start preparing our dish.
Don’t miss the green leaves, add lettuce, young shoots, spinach, lamb’s lettuce, arugula, or kale.
Vegetables such as carrots or green and red peppers, onion, tomato, cucumber, green beans, corn, beets …
Dare to add fruits, the seasonal ones are delicious in salad, melon, watermelon, strawberries … they provide a sweetness that contrasts greatly with the salad vinaigrettes.
Healthy fats that will make your salad a balanced and complete dish so that it can be a unique dish.
Avocado, smoked salmon, nuts (cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts … in addition to their properties they give a very interesting crunchy touch).
To complete the salad we will add cereals, preferably whole grain, whole grain.
These will have to be cooked beforehand (we recommend that you cook a quantity for the whole week and reserve them in the fridge to save time).
Try brown rice, cooked oatmeal, spelled, or whole-grain rye.
Also in grain, quinoa or in pasta format, macaroni, spirals, shells, bows …
With all the variety of pasta that we can find in the market, we will also add a fun touch.
Other proteins: The legume itself already gives us a good dose of protein, but if you feel like it, add some of these ingredients of animal origin to your salad that will give it an extra flavor and nutrients:
- boiled chicken or quail egg
- cheeses such as mozzarella, goat cheese, blue cheese, Parmesan, or fresh cheese.
- Fish such as tuna, salted anchovy, or smoked salmon are delicious in combination with legumes.
- Meats such as grilled or shredded chicken, also sweet ham,
All of them are valid extras in our healthy salad to enjoy this summer.
Seeds: use them as a topping, seeds like chia also provide a feeling of satiety. You can also use:
- Linen,
- sesame
- or poppy,
Besides being nutritious, they give us a very interesting crunchy touch.
Always use extra virgin olive oil to dress it, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, as well as iodized salt.
Vegetable Salad Dressing and Sauce:
Classic dressing: the classic dressing of olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Take care that the ingredients are of quality, always extra virgin olive oil and iodized salt, and in moderation.
Mustard dressing: Starting from the base of the classic dressing we will add a good spoonful of mustard, the “old” variety is delicious.
Fruit dressing: add a generous spoonful of some jam to the classic dressing. Those with red fruits in combination with cheeses are delicious.
Honey dressing: Add honey to the classic (if you also mix it with mustard it will be a fabulous extra).
Trick: recycle a glass jar with a lid to prepare your dressings. Put the ingredients inside, cover, and shake until emulsified. A quick and clean solution to prepare your vinaigrettes.
7 Healthy Legume Salad
1- Chickpea and beetroot salads
Starting with the cooked chickpea as the protagonist, mix it with spinach, cooked beets, blue cheese and add a handful of pine nuts.
Dress with honey vinaigrette and enjoy the contrast of flavors.
Use poppy seeds as a topping.
2- Lentil salads
With the cooked lentil, it is great to mix colored peppers, onion, corn, grilled chicken, and avocado.
Use a fruit dressing and as a topping, opt for a handful of chopped nuts.
3- Bean and salmon salads
The beans in their white variety, make a very rich contrast with avocado and salmon.
Use a light mustard dressing and add some sesame seeds and some raisins.
4- Lentil and rice salad
Enjoy a complete salad mixing cooked lentils and cooked brown rice. Add raw vegetables like bell pepper, cucumber, and tomato for a refreshing summer salad. Dress in a classic way using lemon juice instead of vinegar to provide doses of vitamin C that favor the assimilation of iron from lentils. And to enjoy it!
5- Chickpea salad “deluxe”.
Add goat cheese, tender lettuce shoots, chicken strips, and croutons to the cooked chickpeas. Dress in honey and mustard. Use chopped walnuts topping.
6- Warm legume salad
Add cooked potato, cooked carrot, boiled egg, and pickled gherkins to your favorite legume. The cooked ingredients add them as soon as they are cooked so that when mixing with the legume, previously cooked, the sensation is of eating warm. Mix and dress in a traditional way with extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt.
7- Varied with legumes and vegetables: Or weekend salad
We give it this name because in it we are going to incorporate all those “remains” that we have left at the end of the week.
Use the legumes that you have off the hook, vegetables, and a variety of vegetables, add a protein supplement and dress with a fruit vinaigrette to give it sweetness.
What do you think of our proposal for this spring-summer? Delicious legume salads that should not be missing in your day to day if you want to nourish your body in a healthy way.
Remember that in addition, legumes help us to take care of our line, they are protein, satiating, they have a considerable amount of fiber.
They are also inexpensive, easy to cook, very versatile, and delicious.
With all these ideas you will save time in the kitchen when preparing your legume salads while enjoying a healthy summer meal.
This article can be interessant for your healty foods: The 4 Best Salads For Diet In Summer
