Maybe I'm just here, but I struggle with salads! First, I have a very low threshold, so tedium if I had a mediocre salad, which is especially a few leaves (often directly from the package -! Mesculin salad you have much to answer for) and very little else I get frustrated. This is particularly limited as gluten eaters where something significantly higher is necessary in order to fill the site.
So in an attempt to inspire you to think outside the boundaries of what you consider "salad" and "salad ingredients, here are my 7 tips for delicious summer salads.
1. Fresh is best
You can not beat fresh ingredients and the extra flavor they bring a salad. There is nothing worse than limp lettuce or brown or limp leaves are served. I am still amazed at how often they pop up on my plate when eating out!
If your ingredients are fresh from the market the better, but that is not always possible. When assembling your salad try to maximize the fresh ingredients of life as possible that is where most nutrition. At the end of the day you want your salad to both nutritious and delicious.
Do not bother about ingredients that could be sitting in your refrigerator for a week or two to add. Save them for soup! There is little good left after that time. You can enjoy old ingredients in salad or taste anything. There is nothing worse than the end of your meal by eating your way through a load of old tasteless salad.
2. Be creative with the ingredients
How often you think to capture in a standard salad ingredients as you begin preparing? It's time to be creative and have fun with ingredients. I am a bit of a creative chef cook yourself when composing a meal, but especially in making salads.
Wild with veges. How about including some freshly cut green beans, grilled zucchini, avocado, grated beetroot, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, different colored peppers, or chopped cabbage (red cabbage looks great!). Or try something else, like fennel, snow peas, asparagus or artichokes.
A scattering of cheese, such as shaved Parmesan cheese or crumbled blue cheese Scrummy gives a flavor boost. Torn mozzarella or crumbled feta are fab too.
How about adding some fruit? Cranberries, blueberries, watermelon, sliced pear, orange segments or basket it all work well and provide a good balance to the savory flavor ingredients.
3. Think outside lettuce
The tired old Iceburg lettuce salad is turning into a staple of my life! I heave a quiet sigh when I see it served up (usually with grated carrot, tomato and cucumber). There are so many great opportunities out there.
If you are looking for green, there are hundreds of different kinds to choose from. Ok maybe they are not all available at your local market, but if yours is anything like mine, there are at least six different types of lettuce from the top of my head. Some of my favs are cos, butter crunch, and deer tongue. How about some fresh arugula (always my first choice) or baby spinach? Lettuce is super easy to grow in your house, even if you only have a small balcony.
How about leaving the leaves apart? How about a fresh watermelon, feta, red onion and basil salad? A salad of grated carrot, orange segments, cashew nuts and cumin seeds? Or blanched fava beans, radishes, red onion and cilantro? Puy lentils, oven dried tomatoes, red onion, parsley, chives and dill?
4. Add some protein
I am a big fan of adding protein to salad. Adding protein to your salad from a weak accompaniment to a meal in itself. This is especially important if you have celiac disease or gluten-free diet dinners, frankly, of hunger within the hour if you only feed them a few leaves. It takes too much energy to chew through leaves and it's very disappointing if only to temporarily fill the gap.
There is a wide selection of protein sources to choose from. You can use chicken, beef, lamb, tuna (fresh or canned), salmon (ditto), shrimp, beans (chickpeas, kidney, Lima etc), lentils (Puy are especially good), tofu, hard boiled eggs, quinoa, rice, carrots, corn, or almonds. Choose just one or two from the list and scatter them through the salad.
If adding meat, I prefer to prepare my own I know exactly what is inside. Cooking a whole chicken with stuffing will offer a family meal one evening, and much more for a salad or two over the next few days.
On a piece you could add bacon or sausage, but a majority of votes, these highly processed and not recommended. If a gluten-free eater, I especially these days to avoid meat (although I admit that the love of salami that I did not fully kick).
5. Add seeds, nuts and fresh herbs
The secret of a good salad is to add small bursts of unexpected flavor. Seeds, nuts and fresh herbs are the perfect complement. Try to seeds, such as sunflower oil, pumpkin, sesame or poppy seed, or a combination. Add some walnuts, almonds, cashews, macadamias, pecans or pine nuts. Toss in some pomegrante seeds that look beautiful.
There are no limits to the types of fresh herbs that you can throw into your salad, or the number of different types of herbs you can use in a salad. My favorite herbs are basil, always coriander. I also use fresh mint get half a chance. How about some Italian parsley, sage, thyme, dill, chives or oregano? Or stretch your culinary adventures and try lemon balm, dandelion, chicory, marshmellow or violets (yes, those cute little purple flowers are edible).
6. Let people dress their own salad
Individual tastes dictate a range of preferences for salad dressings. I personally do not like salads swimming in oil, nor am a fan of creamy dressings or mayonnaise (especially since they are usually not gluten free).
This is especially important for gluten free eaters. Many times I could eat a salad, but discovered it was related nasty gluten. When choosing, I just choose a light dressing of olive oil. If I make a dressing for others - I use oil, either lemon or lime juice or vinegar (usually balsamic), add salt and pepper. Sometimes I might add fish sauce, sesame oil, mustard or tamari (wheat-free soy sauce).
Not your salad dressing makes it last longer. Any uneaten salad can be popped in a container in the fridge for lunch the next day or the next night dinner.
7. Serve at room temperature
A refrigerated salad just does not cut! The bite in the mouth, hiding the natural flavors of the ingredients, and frankly shows that you are not going to dinner. Ok maybe the cleanliness brigade can not agree on this (but I'm all for letting my natural immune system do its thing), but I think that removing a pre-prepared salad from the refrigerator 1-2 hours before consume perfect. It takes the chill from freezing.
