Lettuce-Free Salads: A Terrific Trio

Unlike some vegetarians and vegans, I never tire of salads.

What I do occasionally tire of, however, are lettuce-based salads.

Maybe it's just me, but sometimes it seems like the old "greens + veggies" or "greens + fruit" thing can get a little boring. You know the drill: Throw some romaine lettuce into a bowl, add your tomatoes, toss in some broccoli, sprinkle a few sunflower seeds on top, drizzle it all with a bit of dressing... yea, yea, yea.

Predictable.

(Yes, tasty. But oh-so-predictable.)

The truth is, no matter how creative I get, my salad cravings can't possibly be met by lettuce-based salads alone. Sometimes variety - of the lettuce-free type - is exactly what I'm looking for.

That's where this trio of salads comes in...

The first one is tomato-based, and although it could arguably be classified as a salsa, I eat it like a regular salad, so I consider it as such. To make it, throw together a small handful of finely diced white onion, a bunch of chopped tomatoes, a clove or 2 of minced garlic, 1/2 a jalapeno, and some roughly chopped cilantro in a small bowl. Then add some Kosher salt, black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil, and stir everything up a bit.

The second salad is chock-full of black beans and chunks of avocado, and as you can see, is bursting with gorgeous colors. To prepare it, simply combine cubed avocado chunks, black beans, halved grape tomatoes, chopped yellow bell peppers, and some diced red onion in a bowl. Then, whisk together some extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, minced garlic, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to pour over the salad. Stir it all together to evenly coat.

The third lettuce-free salad in my terrific trio highlights white beans and mashed avocado, and tastes decadent alone, or spread on top of a lightly toasted baguette. You can make it by combining some white beans with cubed cucumber pieces and halved grape tomatoes. Then add some mashed up avocado, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, Kosher salt and pepper, and you've got yourself a meal!


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Like these salads, but hungry for more?

Don't forget about these lettuce-free options!

• Edamame + Black Bean Summer Salad
• Mexican-Style Chickpea Salad
• Couscous + Black Bean Salad