Salads can be fun and easy to make! They can also be full of flavor that you might just find yourself craving for them. Don’t think of it as “diet” food. Instead see them as exciting and interesting meals that can pack flavor and texture. If your salad looks the same and boring on your plate, well then you need to try these strategies by health expert JJ Virgin.

Strategy 1: Add Some Crunch or Chew
For fun salad recipes, the crunchy stuff is often the best part. It adds texture and makes the dish more interesting and enjoyable. Most of the time this is achieved with croutons, but you don’t need any high food intolerance (Hi-Fi) foods to get the crunch you’re looking for.

Instead, try:
• Chopped fresh veggies like onions, cucumbers, carrots, etc.
• Slivered almonds
• Raw walnuts
• Beans and legumes (roasted or air-fried until crisp)
• Gluten-free black bean chip

Strategy 2: Include Low-Sugar Impact Fruit
Don’t forget, you can...

Ingredients:

•   cup raw walnuts
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 spicy red chili, thinly sliced (we used a thai chili)
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 3 citrus of choice, we used a mix and match of Cara Cara orange, Navel orange, and grapefruit
• 2 medium fennel bulbs, thinly sliced, reserve fronds as garnish
• cup fresh mint leaves
• 5 cups baby arugula
• ¼ cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 3 minutes, remove from the oven. Set aside to cool.

2. Add the shallots and chili to a bowl together with the fish sauce and red wine vinegar to pickle while preparing the rest.

3. Section the citrus by slicing off the ends, removing the peel, then using a sharp knife to cut clean sections out between the membranes.

4. Transfer all the citrus segments into the bowl with the shallots and chili. Squeeze the citrus mixture, using your hands, to release some of the juices.

5. Toss the...