Meatless Monday: 5 Cool Salads

Image from Healthy Happy Life

Salads can be boring, especially when they're made with common ingredients like lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and carrots and topped with a simple dressing. But don't let yourself associate the word salad with that example - salads can taste incredible! Here are 5 salads posted by expert recipe bloggers in the past couple weeks - give 'em a try and fall in love with salads all over again!

Creamy Cool Frisée Ranch Salad ~ "creamy/crunchy, zesty salad bliss." Need I say more?

Black Bean and Quinoa Salad with Quick Cumin Dressing ~ "It’s a simple quinoa salad, and it samples some of the best of summer tastes and produce in about six ingredients...This salad is nutrient dense, a very complete protein (the quinoa itself is a complete protein, and the beans only compound its protein power), and a wonderful dish to enjoy either warm or cold."

Waldorf Salad ~ a vegan version of the traditional crunchy, creamy, sweet salad you'll often see at parties

Summer Fruit and Herb Salad with Cucumbers ~ refreshing, sweet, beautiful and full of antioxidants - what more could you ask for in a summer salad?

Purslane with Tomato, Cucumber, Avocado in a Southwest Dressing ~ give a new plant a chance: " is a little nutrition powerhouse! Full of omega 3′s, one cup of purslane contains 400 mg of alpha-linolenic acid, and 2,000 IU’s of vitamin A. It is also high in calcium and potassium. It is a great addition to your raw food diet."