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... we've all read about the "buyer beware" aspect of salads. The dressing is fattening! All the components add up to more calories than a normal, square meal!

Well, we fall somewhere in between the two thoughts. Salads can, indeed, be filling and satisfying and full of nuts and cheese and chunks of bacon. But they are, in their essence, a lighter way of eating since they offer us a vehicle for lots of vegetables.

Also, a little protein goes a long way with a salad. For example, in the photo above is a Flickr find of one of our all-time favorites: A thai beef salad. It looks pretty heavy on the beef, but imagine, if you will, half the amount of beef and a fuller bed of greens. Another tip? Add some whole grains to fill it out.

Same goes for cobb salad. Up the greens, add some citrus, make a lemon vinaigrette instead of a creamy one, and tone down the bacon. Still satisfying. Still salad.

For the reverse—salads below that are meatless—add a bit of chicken or a crumble of sausage to make it dinner.

Some options from the Kitchn:
• Cous Cous Salad with Winter Squash and Cranberries
• Warm Wheat Salad, or Reverse Tabbouleh
• Rice and Mixed Greens Salad with Dates, Cashews, and Chickpeas
• Weeknight Recipe: Panzanella
• Cool and Spicy Fish and Cucumber Salad
• Pumpernickel, Watercress, and Mushroom Bread Salad
• Warm Farro Salad with Roasted Squash, Persimmons, and Pecans

And from around the web:
• Cobb Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette, from Gourmet
• Salmon and Green Bean Salad, from Cookstr
• Classic Tuna Nicoise Salad, from Emeril Lagasse
• Fregola Salad with Fresh Citrus and Red Onion, from Giada De Laurentiis
• Thai Beef Salad, from The New York Times

Related: Gallery: 11 Winter Salads to Eat Right Now

(Image: Flickr member *tk, licensed under Creative Commons)