It's heating up here in Sydney! With a newly vegetarian teenager in my house I'm trying to get in the habit of creating a big, substantial salad on a Sunday that can work as leftovers for the week. Or I get on the #meatfreemonday bandwagon. Here's 6 of my favourite salads, and one little extra.

Hellenic Republic’s Cypriot grain salad

This salad takes a bit of preparation, but makes at least 8 serves. You could speed things up by swapping freekah for quinoa and using tinned french lentils. Keep the yoghurt dressing seperate until ready to serve. Here's the recipe

My Thai Style Beef Salad

Well probably not great for the vegetarian teenager I guess, but delicious none the less. This is how I like to eat in summer - a big salad topped with delicious steak. I discovered this salad when I was pregnant as I was trying to increase my iron stores and eat lots of leafy greens. It's now a firm family favourite and perfect for teenagers who need zinc and iron for growth, energy and immunity. I've given the modifications to make this recipe FODMAP friendly.

Watercress, almond and pomegranate salad

Whenever I'm asked to bring a salad - this is the one that I bring. It features the most nutrient dense vegetable around - watercress - which is full of dietary nitrates (reduce blood pressure), and vitamins K, C and A. I cut down the sugar in the dressing and sometimes use lemon instead of lime juice.

Black bean and quinoa recovery salad

A favourite flavour combination (see my winter version here), this salad is another substantial grain salad that will last for a few days. Black beans are an excellent vegetarian source of iron, and quinoa provides plenty of protein. YUM.

Nicoise Salad

Take me to the south of France now please.

Nicoise salad is cheap, filling and super healthy. Here's my recipe - you can vary the recipe with veggies that you know your family will eat. The tuna and eggs both provide heart healthy omega-3 essential fatty acids and are a great source of lean protein. The salad also features loads of veggies which are filling, are full of antioxidants and fibre. The cooked and cooled potatoes are a great source of resistant starch to nourish your gut bacteria. This recipe is gluten free, lactose free and I've given the small adjustments needed to make it FOODMAP friendly.

Watermelon & Pomegranate Salad with Whipped Feta

If you are asked to bring a salad to a BBQ or Christmas party - this one is a winner! Look at those colours! And yum, any salad with pomegranate and feta is a winner in my books. Then add in that beautiful refreshing watermelon and the crunch of almonds, so good.

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One Yummy Extra

Not really a salad, but a fantastic way to make a salad more special and perfect for bearing in mind when the supermarket tomatoes are a bit tasteless.

Rachel is a university qualified Clinical Nutritionist based in Balmain. She is also the busy working mum of two teenagers, so is practical and realistic with her advice . Rachel offers private consultations to improve your family's health and well-being. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram for more healthy tips and tricks.