If you're enjoying a heart-healthy eating pattern and don't feel like turning on any hot kitchen appliances in the evening, we've got you covered with these delicious no-cook dinner recipes. Each of these refreshing dishes is made with lower amounts of saturated fat and sodium-conscious ingredients to support heart health. Plus, these easy recipes don't require any cooking and you can throw them together in just 20 minutes or less. Recipes like our Shredded Chicken & Avocado Nacho Salad and White Bean & Spinach Salad are nutritious and flavorful meals you can make for dinner tonight.
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Cucumber Salad Sandwich
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Who said you couldn't put a salad on a sandwich? Flavor this creamy cucumber filling with your favorite fresh herbs, tangy feta cheese and lemon. Salting the cucumber then patting it dry removes some of the moisture from the cucumber so the filling doesn't make the bread too soggy. If you like crispy bread, toast it first for extra crunch.
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Shredded Chicken & Avocado Nacho Salad
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Dinner doesn't get any easier than this five-ingredient salad. And it's bursting with Super Bowl Sunday potential.
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Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas
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In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables.
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Mixed Greens with Lentils & Sliced Apple
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This salad with lentils, feta and apple is a satisfying vegetarian entree to whip together for lunch. To save time, swap in drained canned lentils--just make sure to look for low-sodium and give them a rinse before adding them to the salad.
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Crunchy Chicken & Mango Salad
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This Asian-inspired dinner salad has terrific crunch, thanks to sugar snap peas and napa cabbage. Give the dressing a kick of heat by adding a bit of sambal oelek, an Indonesian hot sauce that you can find in most large supermarkets and Asian grocery stores.
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The Best Tuna Salad Recipe for Sandwiches
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The tuna salad in this easy recipe has crunch from the celery and apple, which also delivers a hint of sweetness. We use Greek-style yogurt in place of mayonnaise to bind everything together and to add a tangy, creamy finish. You could take this up a notch and make it a "Waldorf tuna salad" by adding 2 tablespoons toasted chopped walnuts, 3 tablespoons quartered small grapes and 1 tablespoon additional Greek yogurt. Serve over a bed of greens or between two slices of whole-grain bread.
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This Fiber-Packed White Bean & Spinach Salad Is Ready in Just 10 Minutes
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In this light and refreshing salad, we season white beans with ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice blend which features cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cardamom and ground black and red pepper. If you prefer a creamier texture, gently mash some of the beans as you stir everything together. The bean salad is served on a bed of lightly dressed spinach that pairs well with the beans, but also grilled chicken or steak kabobs on another night.
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Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado & Walnuts
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Serve this summery strawberry spinach salad alongside soup or a half sandwich, or top with grilled chicken or roasted salmon for a complete and easy healthy meal.
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This 15-Minute Arugula & Cucumber Salad with Tuna Is a Light & Simple Dinner Idea
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Spicy baby arugula pairs with crisp Persian cucumbers and celery in this refreshing salad. Italian Castelvetrano olives offer a mild, buttery flavor that doesn't compete with the flavor of the tuna. If you want more punch from your olives, Nicoise olives or Kalamata olives work well too.
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Cucumber Sandwich with Cotija & Lime
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This easy vegetarian cucumber sandwich draws flavor inspiration from elote, the Mexican street corn dish. Instead of corn, we flavor cucumber slices with cotija cheese, lime and cilantro for a tasty filling. Cotija cheese, a salty, crumbly Mexican cheese, is similar in flavor and texture to feta cheese, which can be used as a substitute. Arugula adds a peppery flavor, but any tender greens will work well here.
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This 15-Minute Chicken & Cabbage Salad Is a No-Cook Dinner Winner
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Best known as a Vietnamese dipping sauce, nuoc cham typically combines sugar, lime juice and fish sauce, striking the perfect balance between sweet, sour and salty. Here it ties together crunchy vegetables, tons of fresh herbs and cooked chicken breast for a refreshing chicken salad. Serve combined with glass noodles or inside a lettuce leaf. For a slightly different take, swap out the cooked chicken for thin slices of grilled steak.
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3-Ingredient White Bean & Cherry Tomato Salad
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This three-ingredient lunch takes a packaged salad kit to the next level with the addition of two pantry staples: cherry tomatoes and white beans. The Mediterranean flavor profile works well here, but another mix will be just as simple and satisfying.
