Salads

With a bit of imagination, salads can be an appealing and nutritious main meal on their own.

Try these delicious salad ideas. Remember, they can be adapted to include whatever ingredients you have at home – the possibilities are endless!

Asian-style warm beef or chicken salad:

Mixed lettuce and salad vegetables such as cucumber strips, snowpeas and cherry tomatoes topped with sliced lean beef or chicken and dressed with an Asian-style dressing such as honey and soy. Serve warm or cold.

Roasted vegetable and couscous salad:

A selection of roast vegetables (a good way to use up leftovers in the fridge) folded through cooked couscous and dressed with some tomato salsa. Serve with a dob of natural yoghurt or dip.

Mexican bean salad:

Any combination of finely diced vegetables, canned corn, canned beans and grated cheese combined with salsa. Serve with a dob of low-fat sour cream.

Potato salad:

Baby potatoes halved and cooked in their skin then combined with canned corn, peas or other finely diced vegetables and dressed with low-fat mayonnaise or natural yoghurt.

Cold rice salad:

Cooked rice, sweetcorn, peas, diced capsicum, diced celery, grated carrot, shallots or any other vegetables available combined with diced lean ham and dressed lightly with low-fat French dressing.

Vietnamese-style coleslaw:

Shredded cabbage and carrot, bean sprouts (canned), cold shredded chicken, shallots, chopped mint (optional), crunchy noodles and dressed either with low-fat mayonnaise or an Asian-style dressing.

Serving salads

Try serving salads in different ways. Consider:

• salad plates, for example, a lean chicken drumstick with slices of tomato, beetroot, a pineapple ring, low-fat cheese and shredded lettuce (with a drizzle of low-fat mayonnaise) and carrot served with a dinner roll lightly spread with margarine
• salad cups or tubs (good for salads that are diced or shredded or are moist)
• salad bags, for example a selection of bite-size pieces such as cherry tomatoes, carrot, capsicum and cucumber sticks, low-fat tasty cheese cubes, boiled egg wedges, grapes, nuts* and dried fruit all tossed in a bag (avoid including lettuce as it tends to wilt very quickly).

*Food allergies are the most common triggers for anaphylaxis (severe allergic reactions) in children. Eight foods cause 90 per cent of food allergies: peanuts, cow’s milk, egg, wheat, soybean, tree nuts (for example, cashew), fish and shellfish. Schools should be aware of the risk of hidden allergens. Check your school’s policy regarding students with severe allergies.