Get Out of Your Salad Rut

05/23/2011

Get Out of Your Salad Rut

Jeannette Ordas

I love eating salads, but sometimes they seem more trouble than they're worth, especially if you're not one for prepping and chopping. For me, it's not a problem. I turn up my music loud and zone out on the dicing, julienning, and slicing. I like to think it helps clear my mind but the truth is I actually like creating a good fine dice on a red onion or thinly slicing a head of cabbage with a large knife. I'm weird like that. But if you're not like me, do a little prep work to gather up components for your own salad starter kit.

Greens

For salad prep, it's good to have a few things on hand. Greens are always nice, but cabbage, fennel, grains, rice, and beans also make a fine salad base. For simplicity, I'll stick with greens. You can buy boxes or bags of pre-washed spring greens, but wash them anyway because you don't want poop in your salad. I generally steer clear of salad mixes and stick with romaine which I tear up into bits and wash in my salad spinner before spinning it dry. The dried salad will last a few days in the fridge so it's easy to grab what you need for your next salad craving. Think romaine is boring? Try butter lettuce, arugula or mix up a few different greens for variety.

Vegetables & Fruit

Sure, you can toss your greens with vinaigrette and call it done, but that's boring. Fruits and vegetables are easy to add. In the summer, add garden-fresh tomatoes and peaches and whatever bounty you can find in your garden or from the farmer's market. I like to add thinly sliced cucumbers (with the seeds scraped out), julienned carrots, and green onions cut on the diagonal. I'm a fan of adding a bit of sweetness to the sour/saltiness of salad so tossing in some diced apples, fresh blueberries, strawberries, and dried cranberries are always a good thing in my book. Additions like broccoli or cauliflower can be served raw or blanched. Generally, I like to add broccoli to boiling, salted water until it turns bright green (a minute or two) and then chilling it in ice water to stop the cooking process. This keeps the broccoli crunchy and tender and helps to quell that taste that I like to call Gross Broccoli Mouth. And how can I forget about beets? Grate them raw or roast them or even toss on a few pickled slices to make your salad hella colorful!

Protein

Adding protein to salads turns your salad from a side dish into your main meal. Anything to bulk up your meal is good: beans, chicken, cheese, seeds and nuts are all excellent choices for added texture and flavor. I love to add a hit of creamy goat cheese or cubes of salty feta to my salad and if you've got walnuts, pecans or almonds on hand, toast them for about 10 minutes in the oven to help bring out their flavor and crunch. And you can always top your salad with a fried or poached egg, which always helps to up the sexiness factor.

Vinaigrette & Dressings

I'm lucky that my mom made vinaigrettes from scratch, heading up a home where bottled dressings were almost always shunned. I learned at an early age that making a vinaigrette was not only easy but fun too. Easy because it barely needs a recipe--just a general ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. I like a good, tangy dressing so I always seem to bump up the lemon juice/vinegar ratio a little while easing up on the oil. Fresh or dried herbs, curry powder, minced shallots or garlic, tahini or whatever strikes your flavor fancy can be added. My mom used to use a tiny whisk or just a fork to whisk her dressings, but I take an easier route and use a small lidded jar to give everything a good shake.

A simple creamy dijon vinaigrette is easy: 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of dijon. A pinch of salt and pepper and shake or whisk away until emulsified. For the salad pictured above, I used a vaguely asian dressing that comprised of 2 tablespoons of oil, the juice of 1 lime, 1 teaspoon of agave syrup, a few splashes of soy sauce, 3 drops of roasted sesame oil and a fiery drop of sriacha. A minced clove of garlic and 1/2 a teaspoon of minced ginger were also added before shaking away to my heart's content.

Inspiration

For more salad inspiration, check out Tara of Tea and Cookies fantastic post entitled Pep Talk for Wilted Salad Makers and start your own salad kit. Toss out the notion that salads are boring and complicated. Get out of your salad rut and play a little. How do you make your salads more exciting? Comment and share your tips below.

5 Comments

TAGS: lettuce lunch meal recipe salad vegetables

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10/13/2011
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05/24/2011
Keith
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a lot a great ideas. thanks for the easy salad dressing tips. i now have no reason to be lazy and use a bottled dressing.
05/23/2011
Chris
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Dried cranberries, pecans, blue cheese chnks and avacado! lots of fresh herbs, shrinp, and sunflower seeds sitting on a bed of rice noodle vermicelli with a vietnamese dressing is a good one, too.
05/23/2011
wendy/greenishthumb
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your salads above do look colorful and exciting! I love adding noodles to a salad. There's a great salad in a restaurant around here that has thinly sliced cabbage, lettuce, halved roma tomatoes, long fat Asian noodles, steak, mango, avocado, and a sort of spicy/sweet/tart dressing. It's amazing.