Hello All.
I am loving some type of crunch in my salad but i have been using 1/3 to 1/2 a bag of southwest cheese curls or dill pickle zippers. I don't want to use them anymore because i don't need the extra IP meals.
Does anyone have suggestions for non restricted foods I can put in my salad to give me the crunch without sacrificing calories/carbs?
Maybe a veggie I can crisp up?
Thank you.

I already put veggies in my salad like cucumbers, radishes, peppers but i am really looking for a crouton/french fried onion substitute.
Or do i just have to learn to live without???? Not a sacrifice, just a change in eating habits???

I'm not on IP nor do I really know anything about what you can/cannot have but if nuts are ok they give salad a really nice crunch, are nutrient dense so you don't need tons of them and are quite tasty. Almonds, walnuts, pecans. Yum!

Fresh Cauliflower has a nice crunch to it. You won't get the flavor your looking for. You could try baking them with some WF ranch dressing and them adding them to salad.

FinnSteven has a recipe for salad crunchies using the cereal packet and separating the milk powder out, then adding spices, I believe. That would not be restricted, but would count as at least 1/2 a protein packet, if not more. I can't think of anything that would qualify as "free", but maybe someone else has better ideas. If you want to try the recipe, go to the stickies and search for salad topping.

look at steven's recipe link I think he had a recipe for the cereal. or it could be in recipe 3 link if you can find it.

I generally add celery for that extra crunchy feeling.

How about dried onions?

Same here. I cut it into small pieces. I also sprinkle some no-salt cajun seasoning on my salads to give them some extra flavor.

i like zucchini chips!

if you sprinkle them with a bunch of spices and lemon/lime, bake them in the oven until they're brown and crispy...they work well

Thank you for the ideas. I will give them a try.

Those sound yummy. I'm going to have to try them. Thanks for the tip!

Great idea! Any suggestion on how long to bake them for?

It just depends on how crispy you're looking for.

If you leave them in for 15-20 mins on 350, they get a nice roasted texture...i find they have a sweet taste at this point.

If you leave them in for 30-40 mins, they shrivel up into little dimes and are crunchy like potato chips.