6 Winter Salad Recipes as Satisfying as Comfort Food

When the temperature drops, it's all too tempting to indulge in gooey macaroni and cheese, creamy soups, and other fattening favorites. But with ingredients like grass-fed beef, sweet potatoes, and roasted Brussels sprouts, these salads will help you forget about classic comfort foods and instead create healthy, produce-packed meals.

Try this recipe: Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Salad

For tasty texture, top with a tablespoon of roasted, salted sunflower seeds—or indulge with a couple of crumbled slices of cooked uncured bacon.

Ingredients: Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, onion, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, code vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey

Calories: 324

Try this recipe: Roasted Fennel and Beet Salad

Instead of two oranges, use one plus a small pink grapefruit or blood orange for even more flavor and color variety.

Ingredients: Fennel bulbs, oranges, Greek yogurt, tahini, radicchio, beets, walnuts, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper, olive oil

Calories: 275 Instead of two oranges, use one plus a small pink grapefruit or blood orange for even more flavor and color variety.

Try this recipe: Roasted Curried Cauliflower-Quinoa Salad

Don't toss the fiber-rich cauliflower stem. Peel, chop and throw into a stir-fry.

Ingredients: Cauliflower, red grapes, quinoa, Greek yogurt, curry powder, cumin, lime juice, cilantro, cashews, rotisserie chicken, olive oil, salt and pepper

Calories: 325

Try this recipe: Steak Salad With Eggplant, Peppers, and Onion

We like 100 percent grass-fed beef. It's richer in omega-3s and conjugated linoleic acid (a type of fat that may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer) than conventionally raised meat.

Ingredients: Skirt steak, eggplant, red bell peppers, red onion, ricotta, Parmesan, basil, rosemary, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper

Calories: 335

Try this recipe: Tuna and White Bean Salad

Roast another head of garlic while you're at it. Spread on crackers, puree into soup or mash with potatoes or squash. Covered, it will keep in the fridge for about 10 days.

Ingredients: Cannellini beans, romaine, tuna, sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies, Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, black pepper, flat-leaf parsley

Calories: 314

Try this recipe: Huevos Rancheros Salad

To tell if an avocado is ripe, press gently with your thumb near the stem end; it should just barely give to light pressure.

Ingredients: Black beans, cilantro, lime juice, chipotle in adobe, cumin, garlic, salt, avocado, eggs, baby arugula, olive oil, salsa or salsa verde, corn tortilla chips

Calories: 308