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  1. Midwest Living
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  4. 30 Sumptuous Salads

30 Sumptuous Salads

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com Updated October 20, 2020
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Smoked Turkey and Citrus Wild Rice Salad

Try our side dish and main salads with tempting ingredients such as roasted kale, Gorgonzola cheese, wheat berries, root vegetables and persimmons.

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Smoked Turkey and Citrus Wild Rice Salad

Smoked Turkey and Citrus Wild Rice Salad
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This main-dish salad is just what the doctor ordered after the holidays, bursting with color and fresh flavor. The recipe comes from The Birchwood Cafe Cookbook (University of Minnesota Press, $29.95). (Note: You'll end up with extra dressing, but that's just fine ... stash it in the fridge to wake up any salad.)

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Winter Bean Salad with Fennel and Clementines

Winter Bean Salad with Fennel and Clementines
Credit: Blaine Moats
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Turn a humble can of beans into this impressive salad. It's already a main dish, but you can make it heartier by adding seared salmon or sizzled shrimp.

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Citrus-Date Salad

Citrus-Date Salad
Credit: Paul Lowe
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This fresh and colorful salad is a perfect side to grilled chicken or pork tenderloin. As you eat, the citrus juices mingle with the oil, so you don't even have to mix up a dressing.

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Harvest Lentil Salad

Harvest Lentil Salad
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Packed with healthy nutrients, this dish is perfect for any occasion. Serve as a side with a pork tenderloin roast or turkey breast or as a meat-free dinner salad with warm, crusty wheat rolls.

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Shaved Cabbage Salad with Apples, Ham and Mustard

bowl of Shaved Cabbage Salad with Apples, Ham and Mustard
Credit: Brie Passano
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Ham adds just enough smoky richness to chef Abra Berens' vibrant salad to elevate a simple slaw to a lunch-worthy meal or a potluck stunner. Find other great salads in her book Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables.

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Smoked Salmon Salad with Everything Bagel Seasoning

Smoked Salmon Salad with Everything Bagel Seasoning
Credit: Brie Passano
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Turn breakfast into dinner! This salad is loaded with all the flavors of your favorite bagel shop—smoked salmon, avocado, cucumber, jammy eggs, bagel chip "croutons" and creamy dressing.

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Roasted Kale, Tomato and Chickpea Salad with Wheat Berries

Roasted Kale, Tomato and Chickpea Salad with Wheat Berries
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Our hearty salad tastes equally good warm from the pan, cold from the fridge or even at room temperature, so it's perfect for make-ahead meals and leftover lunches. Other grains, such as barley, faro or wild rice, also work well in this salad.

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Mexican Citrus Salad with Avocado

Mexican Citrus Salad with Avocado
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It's not just a salad-it's a crunchy, juicy, sweet, salty, tart, buttery, nutty potluck dazzler.

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BLT Salad

BLT Salad
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Turn a classic BLT into a main dish salad. The favorite combination of bacon, lettuce, and tomato are added to a mix of vegetables and toasted bread to make a delightful meal. Creamy mustard dressing makes the perfect topping.

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Herbed Lamb Meatball Salad

Herbed Lamb Meatball Salad
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The red pepper dressing is a revelation, well worth making for any lettuce salad. You can use beef instead of lamb if you like.

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Roasted Pork and Beet Salad

Roasted Pork and Beet Salad
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Heart-healthy walnuts and lean pork tenderloin make this dinner salad as nutritious as it is colorful. You can pop a package of whole-grain take-and-bake rolls in the oven after you remove the pork. By the time you've assembled the salad, the rolls will be ready.

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Sweet and Spicy Steak Salad

Sweet and Spicy Steak Salad
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Sirloin strips marinated in raspberry-chipotle vinaigrette get caramelized edges on the grill. Pile skewers on mixed greens with goat cheese and veggies, then pass the tongs and dressing.

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Spiced Pecan Apple Salad

Spiced Pecan Apple Salad
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Pecans, feta cheese, a Red Delicious apple and zesty vinaigrette combine for a memorable salad. "This recipe comes to us courtesy of the Junior League of Chicago. It is from their cookbook, Celebrate Chicago! A Taste of Our Town," says Patty Erd, co-owner of the Spice House in Chicago.

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Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad

Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad
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Apples, dried cranberries and grapes meet crunchy celery and wheat berries in this colorful salad tossed with apple-cinnamon dressing.

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Moroccan Carrot Slaw

Moroccan Carrot Slaw
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Combining cinnamony pumpkin-pie spice with fresh mint lends North African flavor in a flash. Try this simple salad as a side dish to grilled chicken.

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Nuts and Berries Winter Slaw

Nuts and Berries Winter Slaw
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Crisp, shredded Brussels sprouts, toasted hazelnuts and tangy cranberry-orange dressing provide a burst of fresh flavor to balance a rich holiday roast. We like the hearty texture of raw Brussels sprouts, but if you prefer them a bit softer, blanch them first and then plunge them into cold water and pat dry.

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Italian Rice Salad

Italian Rice Salad
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Italian Rice Salad includes fragrant, nutty-tasting brown basmati rice, bell peppers in a variety of colors, red onions and plenty of garlic. "It's kind of soft, kind of crunchy, a little sweet and a little tangy," says Ohio cooking school expert Bev Schaffer, who gave us the recipe.

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Apple and Couscous-Bulgur Salad

Apple and Couscous-Bulgur Salad
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Apple cider and lemon juice add a touch of pucker that keeps this hearty grain salad from tasting too sweet. For a nutritional boost, use whole wheat couscous.

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Kale, Cranberry and Root Vegetable Salad

Kale, Cranberry and Root Vegetable Salad
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This festively red-and-green salad actually tastes better dressed hours ahead and served at room temperature, so it travels beautifully. Fresh cranberries and an assertive, gingery dressing balance rich meats and sides. And it's hearty enough to keep vegetarians at the table satisfied. Sold yet?

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Nutty Cranberry Dressing

Nutty Cranberry Dressing
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Put aside that bottled raspberry vinaigrette and try this amazing homemade alternative, flavored with maple syrup, Dijon mustard and toasted pecans. It's fantastic on a salad with apples or pears, goat cheese and leftover holiday turkey.

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Harvest Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette

Harvest Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette
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Walnut oil adds a nutty flavor to vinaigrette on this colorful salad from Clabber Girl Bake Shop in Terre Haute, Indiana. Add cooked chicken for a quick main dish.

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Butternut Squash and Apple Salad

Butternut Squash and Apple Salad
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Sweet squash and apple pair with sharp Gorgonzola and tangy dressing in this autumn salad from Black Star Farm in Suttons Bay, Michigan. The dressing calls for verjus, a tart pressed grape juice. You can order verjust online or find it as specialty stores, but wine vinegar makes a good substitute.

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Asian-Style Vinaigrette

Asian-Style Vinaigrette
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Toss this light soy-ginger dressing with a bag of slaw mix and roasted peanuts for a nutritious side dish on stir-fry night. The recipe uses canola oil and sesame oil, which are both good choices as part of a balanced diet.

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Cranberry Cashew Salad

Cranberry Cashew Salad
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Sliced apples, roasted cashews and dried fruit combine with mango chutney, spinach leaves and curry for an exotic, fresh-tasting salad. The recipe comes from the New Albany (Ohio) Cooking with Friends community cookbook.

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Little Traveler's Chopped Salad

Little Traveler's Chopped Salad
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Bacon and French-fried onions punch up the flavor in this crunchy, fresh-tasting, main-dish salad from Little Traveler, a gift shop-cafe in Geneva, Illinois.

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Berry-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Berry-Balsamic Vinaigrette
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The sweet tang of this rosy dressing pairs nicely with nuts, cheese, avocado or grilled chicken breast in a mixed green salad. A full 2 cups of strawberries boost the dressing's vitamin C and fiber; the olive oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, a healthy fat that fights inflammation and protects against heart disease.

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Winter Orange Salad

Winter Orange Salad
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Croutons made from walnuts or pecans infuse nutty flavor into this tossed salad, with oranges and dried cranberries. Nut producers Barb and Dwight Ittner of Noel, Missouri, created the recipe.

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Broccoli Grape Salad

Broccoli Grape Salad
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Salty bacon flavors juicy grapes and crunchy broccoli. The side-dish saladrecipe comes from the Triangle Ranch B&B in South Dakota.

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Wilted Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing

Wilted Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing
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This recipe, from a Dearborn, Michigan, restaurant, dresses up a classic side-dish wilted salad. "I really enjoyed the addition of fresh mushrooms and hard-boiled eggs," notes a reviewer on our website. "I could easily make a meal of this."

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Fennel Apple Salad

Fennel Apple Salad
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Tangy Granny Smith apples combine with radicchio and fennel in this refreshing side-dish salad. Mustard and citrus flavor the dressing.

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By The editors of MidwestLiving.com

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    1 of 30 Smoked Turkey and Citrus Wild Rice Salad
    2 of 30 Winter Bean Salad with Fennel and Clementines
    3 of 30 Citrus-Date Salad
    4 of 30 Harvest Lentil Salad
    5 of 30 Shaved Cabbage Salad with Apples, Ham and Mustard
    6 of 30 Smoked Salmon Salad with Everything Bagel Seasoning
    7 of 30 Roasted Kale, Tomato and Chickpea Salad with Wheat Berries
    8 of 30 Mexican Citrus Salad with Avocado
    9 of 30 BLT Salad
    10 of 30 Herbed Lamb Meatball Salad
    11 of 30 Roasted Pork and Beet Salad
    12 of 30 Sweet and Spicy Steak Salad
    13 of 30 Spiced Pecan Apple Salad
    14 of 30 Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad
    15 of 30 Moroccan Carrot Slaw
    16 of 30 Nuts and Berries Winter Slaw
    17 of 30 Italian Rice Salad
    18 of 30 Apple and Couscous-Bulgur Salad
    19 of 30 Kale, Cranberry and Root Vegetable Salad
    20 of 30 Nutty Cranberry Dressing
    21 of 30 Harvest Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette
    22 of 30 Butternut Squash and Apple Salad
    23 of 30 Asian-Style Vinaigrette
    24 of 30 Cranberry Cashew Salad
    25 of 30 Little Traveler's Chopped Salad
    26 of 30 Berry-Balsamic Vinaigrette
    27 of 30 Winter Orange Salad
    28 of 30 Broccoli Grape Salad
    29 of 30 Wilted Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing
    30 of 30 Fennel Apple Salad

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