In Indian households, salads are just an assortment of vegetables like cucumber and carrots, served with meals to add that little crunch with your roti sabzi. But there is so much more to it. A go-to for people aspiring to a better, healthier lifestyle, salads can be a filling meal entirely on their own. Especially when you get salad recipes given by experts, which are not just healthy but also delicious.
Here are 5 easy salad recipes that we found on the Instagram pages of fitness experts that will help you meet your fitness goals.
1. Parul Nagpal’s Creamy Salad Paneer Bowl
Parul Nagpal’s journey started with a food blog, born out of boredom and homesickness, where she only posted Indian recipes. It was her postpartum journey that led her into the world of fitness and she is now one of the most followed nutritionists on Instagram, as ‘She Cooks Healthy’, where she shares her vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Perfect for people who usually find themselves constipated after salads, here’s the recipe on how to prepare her Creamy Salad Paneer bowl that only has 302 calories:
1. In a bowl, add 200 gm of fat-free yogurt and mix with a few drops of water to make the consistency thinner.
2. Add fresh cilantro and mint leaves, 50 gm steamed carrots, 20 gm steamed beetroot, 40 gm sliced cucumber, and 30 gm sliced onion with a few lemon drops to the bowl.
3. Add black salt (kala namak) and black pepper (kali mirch) to taste.
4. In a separate bowl, mix diced cottage cheese (paneer) with ½ tsp oil, garlic powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, salt according to taste, and then roast on a pan.
5. Place lettuce leaves on a plate, and then a portion of the creamy vegetables on one side, and paneer pieces on the other.
Your salad is ready!
2. Arjita Singh’s Crispy Chickpea and Potato Salad
Arjita Singh is an International Sports Science Associations (ISSA) certified nutritionist. After learning from her own struggles of trying to achieve that slimmer body, she now focuses on a holistic approach to bettering your health. Her one-on-one consultations will provide you guidance for all the issues you might have and improve your relationship with food.
One of the salad recipes we found on her page and want to share with you is high protein and high fiber Crispy Chickpea and Potato Salad, which is also a satisfying complete meal in itself:
1. Cut 2 medium-sized potatoes in half and then mash them.
2. Add salt and chili with a little oil and then airfry at 180C for 10-15 minutes or until crunchy.
3. Repeat the process with chickpeas and corn, and airfry at 170C for 15 minutes.
4. Make the dressing by adding 150 gm paneer, 90 gm yogurt, 1 tsp pepper, salt, 3 garlic cloves, ½ tsp apple cider vinegar, and water (if needed for consistency) in a blender to make a paste.
5. In a plate, add the paste with 2 grated cucumbers, 1 grated carrot, and 1 finely chopped onion and mix with a little roasted jeera powder.
6. Finally, add the crispy potatoes, chickpeas and corn to it. Garnish with chaat masala, mint powder or roasted pumpkin seeds.
And you’re done!
3. Adhya S’ High Protein Pasta Salad
Adhya is a data analyst turned nutrition coach with a following of 1 million on Instagram. She started by preparing homemade meals for people who needed them during COVID-19 and found herself inspired by fitness and nutrition. She now has certifications in the field and has created an entire platform to share her healthy recipes.
If you’re craving pasta and don’t want to forego your health goals, here’s her Protein Pasta salad recipe for you that will satisfy your tastebuds and contains 22 gm of protein in each serving:
1. Boil whole-wheat pasta and peas with a little salt until cooked.
2. Chop the veggies of your choice, Adhya uses bell pepper, onion, and carrot.
3. Add low-fat paneer, apple cider vinegar, garlic, mustard sauce, pepper, salt, and water in a blender to make the dressing.
4. Mix the chopped veggies, and the dressing with the cooked pasta and peas.
5. Garnish with chili flakes, or any other herbs if needed.
Your high protein pasta salad is ready to eat!
4. Pooja Makhija’s Beetroot and Orange Salad
Pooja Makhija is the nutrition consultant of CEOs and celebrities, like Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar and more. She has her own TV show on Food Food channel, and her own radio show on Magic FM. She’s also an author of bestselling ‘Eat Delete’ books, and has a regular column in Times of India.
Here are the steps to make her quick antioxidants rich beetroot and orange salad that will take less than 10 minutes:
1: Add rocket leaves, boiled beetroot, peeled orange pieces, feta cheese, sliced white onion, parley, and pecans or walnuts in a bowl.
2: Make the dressing by adding honey, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, chili flakes, and lime juice and mixing it together.
3: In a bowl, add all of it together and mix properly.
The salad is ready to dig in!
5. Lubna Ghadai’s Low Fat Cucumber Corn Salad
Originally a beauty and skincare blogger, Lubna found her calling to become a nutrition expert and achieved success almost overnight. She’s a certified zumba instructor and is the owner of Healthy Fix Cafe in Andheri West, Mumbai.
Looking for simple salad recipes for you, how could we skip the one with 14 million views on Instagram. Here’s how you make the famous Low-Fat Cucumber Corn salad:
1. Slice a cucumber, half an onion and add them to a bowl.
2. Add chopped coriander leaves, boiled corn, along with grated garlic to the same bowl.
3. For the dressing add 100 gm curd or yogurt, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp olive oil, black pepper, salt, chili flakes, cumin powder, and mix it.
4. Add the dressing on top of the veggies and mix it well.
Enjoy this simple recipe!
Healthy living is often synonymous with a lot of effort, discouraging people to not give it a go even if their New Years’ Resolutions are all about it. But with these easy salad recipes given by nutrition and fitness experts, your health goals will be well within your reach in no time.
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