I call this my big HVS - Humongous Vegetable Salad. Here is the vegetable salad I keep around constantly. It goes with absolutely everything. I prepare this once or twice a week. If you don’t put in vegetables that have a lot of water content it tends to last longer in the refrigerator. You can pull it out and serve yourself a bowl of it anytime of the day.
It’s also a great meal to have on a detox. Just use a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime instead of a salad dressing to keep everything raw.
How to Prepare
The quantities given for each vegetable are not exact. Add more of what you love and less of what you don’t. Increase quantities as you get used to eating this salad on a daily basis.
I list the vegetables that I use in the standard salad then list others you can use to “lighten” it up, change the dominant tastes, or create a full meal according to your tastes.
Experiment with the amounts of the various vegetables to get the quantities that work for you.
Basic HVS
These vegetables make up the basic salad. This can last for 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator without getting wilted.
- Green cabbage
- Red Cabbage
- Red Pepper
- Green Pepper
- Celery
- Tomato
- Fresh Herbs (Cilantro, basil, thyme, rosemary, etc.)
Additional vegetables
These vegetables can get soft or discolored quicker. That mean you have to eat the salad quicker. You can add these on any day to change the taste of the basic mix. Have them already prepared so you just have to put in the amount you want.
- lettuce/spinach
- chopped broccoli
- cauliflower
- zucchini
- avocado
Toppings
Toppings are optional. This is what makes this salad versatile enough to be the base of a fully meal, 7 days a week.
- Nuts or seeds
- Raisins
- Roasted vegetables
- Rice
- Cheese
- Cooked vegetables
- Left-over meat, fish, chicken – really helps if you prepare foods for people who eat differently, i.e., raw to meat eaters.
- Whatever else you have.
Dressings
These go from simple to complex. The taste of the salad is so good I often eat it with no dressings. However, I started with bottled dressings and now use a simple squeeze of fresh lemon or lime. Sometimes I add some Olive Oil. Another alternative is a great balsamic vinegar.
Of course, you can use your favorite low fat dressing and experiment with different salad dressings. If you eat this everyday you can change things up with different dressings.
Directions:
Wash all of the vegetables and thinly shred them with a knife. This lets them come out in thin layers that are fun to eat. You can also shred by hand, chop in chunks or “break” some of the vegetables by hand.
Use more of your favorites and change things up a bit. Try new tastes by adding other favorite vegetables I’ve forgotten here. If it’s something you eat raw, it can go into the basic salad. If it’s cooked, add as a topping for a special meal.
As a Side Dish
I serve a version of this salad almost everyday. You can add anything else in your meal. To make it a side dish, serve a portion with your cooked protein (meat, fish, chicken, beans). It goes with ethnic foods and vegetarian delights.
Keep this around on a regular basis. It’s crunchy and satisfying. Depending on other meals, you can use this and start to naturally lose weight by making it your staple meal of the day or by eating more of this than other, higher calorie foods.
Let me know how you like it.
