A salad is a dish prepared with mixed greens, cabbage (cole slaw), potatoes or with fruits and vegetables.
They are typically served at room temperature or chilled, though some can be served warm.
Condiments and salad dressings, which exist in a variety of flavors, are often used to enhance a salad.
The amazing thing about salads, they are versatile. There are literally thousands of different combinations you can try.
A salad can start with romaine lettuce, iceberg, butter leaf lettuce, mixed greens, spinach, arugula or even something more exotic like roasted beets or Brussels sprouts.
You can incorporate your salad with flavorful extras like fruits, berries, avocado, raw vegetables, nuts, seeds, coconut and cheese.
You can even turn your salad into a main course by mixing in a protein like tuna, beef or chicken.
If you prefer a protein option other than meat, you can add tofu, black beans, white beans, goat cheese and even chickpeas (also called garbanzos).
Everyone has different tastes in salad. Some like their salad dressed with a creamy dressing or a vinaigrette, or just plain oil and vinegar.
How To Make A Salad
There are are several options to making a flavorful salad.
A Classic Salad
A classic salad is a great option because it adds a crunch to the salad and they also won’t overpower your plate with any one particular flavor.
A classic salad can typically use iceberg, butter leaf or romaine lettuce.
Nutrient Dense Salad
A nutrient dense salad, not only includes lettuce leaves but incorporates greens as well. Like arugula, kale, and spinach among others.
Other healthy nutritious additions can include root vegetables, such as roasted beets or carrots among others.
You can also opt for a nutrient dense salad without the lettuce leaves.
Read More About What Is Arugula & How To Use It
Cabbage Slaw or Cole Slaw
A cabbage slaw is a crunchy salad that uses red and green cabbage.
A cabbage slaw can be versatile as there are several types of cabbages to choose from.
These include: the cannonball cabbage, red or green cabbage, napa cabbage, savoy cabbage, and January king cabbage and bok choy.
A cole slaw is typically made with pineapple. But there are other options, like mangoes and coconut.
A slaw can also be made without cabbage. A cole slaw can also be prepared with shredded apples, carrots, coconut, and mango, and carrots among others.
How To Make A Salad – Without Leafy Greens
Then there are salads without leafy greens. These salads can include (stand alone or mixed) Brussels sprouts, carrots, radishes, fennel, avocado, citrus, apples, pears, berries, watermelon, green beans, corn, beans, and potatoes among many others.
Give these non-leafy green salads a try –
Tips On Preparing Your Salad
Always rinse off leafy greens before you use them.
You can use a salad spinner to rinse and dry your greens, or simply run the leaves under water and gently pat them dry with a clean paper towel.
Always rinse your fruit and vegetables before you cut into them.
Always opt when possible for fresh fruits and vegetables in your salad for a more nutritious addition.
When using dried fruits be cautious of not adding too many to your salad, as they can be high in sugar.
Apart from using unflavored nuts, there are lots of flavored varieties out there, from sweet pecans to spicy pistachios.
If you buy blocks of cheese, use a cheese grater to shred it.
You can also shake a little salt and pepper onto your salad if you’d like.
Even salsas can make great salad dressings – like this Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Salsa.
In conclusion, think outside the box and don’t be afraid to try a new salad combination!
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