I’m gonna be really honest here: I’m not exactly a “salad guy.”

To me, salads can be cold, slimy things that don’t look particularly appetizing because they are uncooked and don’t give off a warm aroma.  However, there’s no denying that salads are a healthy addition anyone can make to their diet, so I’m going to show you how to make a salad that isn’t awful (in fact, I’d say it’s quite good).

Some Salad Theory: “This Salad is Mine“

Before we delve into an actual recipe, let’s get a little “salad theory” out of the way.  Salads are nothing more than a mixture of ingredients–usually raw vegetables–coated in a liquid dressing or oil.  Most people think of salads as consisting primarily of lettuce or lettuce and tomatoes, but the truth is you can use anything you want (hey, it’s your salad).  You can even put fruit in your salad, if you want! This salad recipe is yours, and you’re going to make it the way you want to.

So let’s get down to it.

Ingredients:

For your salad, try making a list of fresh fruits and vegetables you like to eat, and using those as a basis for your recipe.  Some that we like in our salads include:

• Lettuce
  
• Tomatoes
• Onion
  
• Cucumbers
• Broccoli
  
• Spinach leaves
• Artichoke

As an option, try throwing in a little fresh fruit, meat, or bread.  This can include:

• Strawberries (they’re in season right now)
• Apple wedges
• Bite-size pieces of sauteed chicken
• Pieces of toast or croutons

The Process:

1. Make everything bite-size. I really can’t stress this enough.  Your salad needs to be easy to eat.  Chop your tomatoes and onions into tiny pieces; shred your lettuce leaves until they’re about the size of a quarter or half dollar.  Your goal is to have a large bowl of tiny ingredients.
2. Find a good base vegetable. You want one vegetable to be the foundation of your salad.  Lettuce makes a good one.  We like to put a large bag of washed lettuce in a bowl as our primary ingredient, but it certainly isn’t the only ingredient we use.
3. Begin chopping and adding your other fruits and vegetables. You’re going to add each successive ingredient to the bowl of lettuce, and then you’re going to “toss” the salad.
4. “Tossing” is basically another word for stirring it. Get some large salad tongs or a couple of forks, and be sure everything is evenly mixed–you want to be sure a spoonful of salad has a nice cross-section of the ingredients you’ve used.
5. When you’re done, serve the salad with your dressing of choice. Salad dressing helps give the salad a little more taste, but be careful not to overdo it on the dressing.  Otherwise the fat content of the dressing will outweigh any health benefits the salad might have offered, and it will just taste slimy.
   

Some salad recipe tips and tricks:

1. Salads are best made from fresh ingredients.  If you can, hit up the local farmer’s market for some fresh produce now that warmer weather is here.  Easy ingredients to find at the farmer’s market right now include fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and strawberries.
2. Salads make a great appetizer for any meal, but they can also make a fine meal unto themselves, provided you use a wide variety of vegetables and have plenty to go around.
3. Salads can be prepared fairly quickly, and make great additions for summer cookouts and family get-togethers.

Got a salad tip?  Let us hear it!  Leave us a comment below.

Filed under: Recipes

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