Fresh Grilled Salads
Fresh Grilled Salads for Light Summer Meals
When you think of your George Foreman Grill a light, refreshing salad isn’t probably the first thing that comes to mind. But for these sweltering hot days at the end of summer, there’s nothing better. A grilled salad is not only a healthy eating option, but it doesn’t give you that heavy, don’t-want-to-move feeling after you’ve finished your meal. It’s the perfect option for lunches and even a lighter dinner during these last days of summer.
The really nice thing about doing grilled salads with your George Foreman indoor grill is that it usually takes less than 20 minutes to make the whole meal – less if you’re used to making it or using ingredients that you’re familiar with. While the grill preheats and you cook your protein and any grilled veggies, you can prep all the other ingredients and toss them in the salad bowl with the dressing while you wait. Then simply cut and add the grilled items, toss again and serve. It’s that easy!
Another great thing about doing grilled salads at home is they let you get a little creative with your menu. You can change up the protein, the other toppings, the dressing and even the greens for a completely different taste in every salad. You can do a Chicken Caesar one day, then get a completely different taste with a Steak Salad with mixed greens.
Of course, not everyone can jump on board with their whole meal being a salad, so this may be a hard sell, particularly to men and kids at the dinner table. To bring picky eaters on board, simply use ingredients that they want to eat to make the whole idea of salad more appealing. Steak makes a salad more of a “man food” if you have a picky husband, or grilled fruits and sweet dressings can make a salad more appealing for kids. You may also want to try doing a grilled salad as a weekend lunch, so you have time to make something else if the kids absolutely balk.
Even if you can’t convince the man in your life that a steak salad for dinner is still steak dinner, a grilled salad may be a great option to consider for your own lunches at home. Now that the kids are back at school, busy moms are often catching lunch on the run or opting for an easy frozen meal. Instead, you can grill a single cut of meat and easily make a fresh grilled salad for yourself.
Although you can get a variety of recipes online for grilled salads, our recommendation is to start with your protein and/or key ingredient and build your own perfect salad from there. The best key ingredients include sliced grilled chicken, steak or pork, shrimp, salmon or tuna steaks, eggplant or just an assortment of your favorite grilled vegetables. Match the greens next – most prepackaged varieties now come with serving recommendations of what flavors they work with – and then match the rest of your toppings and any dressing. Although you can definitely use a marinade, you can also grill without it for these really easy meals.
