5 protein rich salads you'll want to try:

There are hundreds of salads to choose from and most of the time people make a real poor attempt at something imaginative and nutritious. Adding protein to a salad can not only enhance the taste, but it can actually energize you. Salads don't have to be boring, bland and thrown into the garbage at the end of a meal. If you prepare a proper salad, people will be scraping the bowl for the last leaf. Creating a high protein salad will compliment any meal or even have the potential to be the meal itself. There are a wide variety of ways to make a tasteful, protein rich salad using both meat and non-meat choices.

The Green

It is important to know what goes best with what when picking out a particular salad leaf. Iceberg, mescalin and spinach are the best available choices.

• Iceberg - This lettuce has the most crunch and longevity, but little nutrition.
• Mescalin - These leaves have much color including reds, whites and greens, plus a fair amount of nutrition. The lasting power is okay but can become soggy.
• Spinach - Spinach is a vegetable of deep green iron-rich content. It stays well over time and has great repelling power, rendering the leaves very strong yet succulent.

1. Simple Chopped Steak Salad

• 1 cooked, fat trimmed, small cube chopped piece of any steak
• 1 head of finely chopped iceberg lettuce
• 6 finely chopped carrots
• 3 finely chopped celery stalks

Mix and serve with your favorite dressing.

2. Warm Mushroom Lentil Spinach Salad

• 3 handfuls of triple-cleaned spinach salad
• 1 box of cleaned, sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups of drained cooked or canned lentils
• 1/4 cup of sesame seeds
• 2 cloves of garlic

Saute sliced mushrooms in olive oil, adding a few sliced cloves of garlic salt and pepper. Add lentils when mushrooms are brown and sizzling. Add sesame seeds shortly after the lentils. Let all saute for a few more minutes then pour over spinach salad. No dressing needed.

3. Spicy White Protein Salad with Chick Peas

• 3 handfuls of mescalin salad
• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 2 cups of drained cooked or canned chick/garbanzo beans
• 1 finely chopped radish
• 3 chopped jalapeno peppers
• 2 finely chopped shallots

Saute the shallots, jalapeno and chick peas in butter or olive oil and spice to taste with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic salt. Remove yolk from hard boiled egg and chop egg whites into long strips. Mix all ingredients with mescalin salad. Serve with favorite dressing.

4. Hearts and Turkey Salad

• 10 oz. chopped Romain hearts of lettuce
• 1 pound of cooked chopped smoked turkey breast
• 1/2 pound of drained artichoke hearts
• 1/4 pound chopped drained hearts of palm
• 1/4 oz. chopped Spanish onion
• 3/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar

Mix ingredients together, adding salt and pepper to taste.

5. Simple Salmon Salad

• 2 cups of chopped cleaned salmon
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles

Mix ingredients together, adding salt and pepper to taste. Top with your favorite dressing (Russian dressing is recommended).

Other High Protein Salad Additions:

• Duck
• Tuna
• Soybeans
• Cottage and ricotta cheese
• Crab
• Nuts (especially almonds)
• Skinless chicken
• Sausage
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Bacon
• Peanuts
• Pumpkin seeds