Could you please teach me how to make a good salad?

[Jean in Newcastle]

My salad repertoire consists of a bagged "salad mix" or else some shredded romaine or green leaf lettuce topped with sliced carrots, tomatoes and if I'm really adventurous, an avocado. Bottles of salad dressing are plonked on the table for people to choose from. I see other people make wonderful salads that make me salivate. Can you teach this salad novice how to make a wonderful salad?

[Kelli in TN]

I really like chopped salads in restaurants so I have started chopping my salad ingredients up small. Then I toss them together thoroughly with dressing. I vary the ingredients according to what is on sale. I like the small pieces because then a bite contains lettuce plus whatever goodies I have put in there.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

We make "meal-salads" consisting of spinach and any or all of the following:

manderine oranges, craisins, sliced strawberries, diced fuji apples, almonds, diced new york sharp cheese, tomatoes, blue cheese, red onions. We top with grilled meat (london broil or chicken breast).

Top with cranberry/poppyseed/fruity dressing of your choice for the fruity/chicken salad or creamy italian for the tomato/blue cheese/ red onion/beef salad.

Mix and match and enjoy!

K

[Miss Peregrine]

We just use romaine, spinach and whatever vegetables I have. Usually carrots, red pepper, red onion, green onion, red cabbage and tomato. Sometimes cauliflower and for an extra special taste, a bit of cilantro. Yum.

I don't add dressing to the salad because it is not good the next day and not everyone likes the same kind. We just put the dressing on the table.

[MelissaM]

O'Charley's black and bleu salad is great. In trying to duplicate it at home wo found that crumbled bleu cheese is fab! Here's a "Melissa Special" I came up with that is kinda/sorta similar to the one at O'Charley's:

Fresh spinach leaves and romaine shredded
sliced tomato
crumbled bleu cheese
artichoke hearts
black olives
fresh ground pepper
basalmic vinegar to taste

You can top with chicken or beef.

[tess in the burbs]

We like Cobb salads here and add turkey, ham, boiled eggs, bacon, avocado and blue cheese to romaine and spinach. My dh likes honey mustard dressing and I like blue cheese.

We also like tex/mex salads with romaine lettuce with black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, tortilla chips crumbled, salsa mixed with sour cream as the dressing. grilled chicken strips or taco beef could be added as well.

[OnTheBrink]

Just as an FYI, I read an article not long ago about how bagged salad greens are high in salmonella bacteria, so be sure to wash them well.

Anyway, I like meal salads, so mine consist of a bed of romaine or some other dark lettuce (never iceberg). I add a protein, such as kidney or garbanzo beans, hard boiled egg, sunflower seeds, shredded cheese, or nuts. Rarely, I'll put in cubed cooked chicken. Then I add whatever veggies: diced cucumber, diced roma tomatoes, fresh peas, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, mushrooms, diced zucchini, green or red onion. If I can find an avocado under a buck that's not hard enough to play baseball with, or over ripe, I toss that in, too. I top with some bacon bits and dressing. YUM. :D

[lynn]

I love a lot of texture in my salad. Greens, cottage cheese, mandarin oranges. Greens, chickpeas, blue cheese dressing and strawberries with olive oil and vinegar or basalmic dressing. Greens, sunflower seeds or whatever nuts I have on hand, dried cranberries, or sundried tomatoes. and everything has to be cold. All that said I have found that when serving others the simpler the salad the better, fresh crisp romaine, cherry or grape tomatoes, cucumber, and croutons with a simple italian dressing. I found this out at a ladies salad luncheon. I could not think of anything fancy to bring and guess which salad was gone first.

[Leta]

I like sliced beefsteak tomatoes and sliced cheese (smoked provolone is especially good), laid one over the next in an alternating red and white pattern.

Then, sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pepper, and basil.

Mmmm...

[daisychics]

Ingredients:
1. Honey Mustard:
http://www.marzetti.com/ourBrands/products.php?pid=4

2. Tyson chicken strips:
http://www.tyson.com/recipes/product/ViewProduct.aspx?id=85

3. Bagged Salad:
http://www.dole.com/Products/Products_Detail.jsp?CatGroupID=4&ID=79

4. cooked spaghetti (about a 1/2 cup)
5. cut tomatoes
6. bacon bits

Instructions:
1. pour everything in a big bowl or those wooden salad bowls
2. mix


YUMMY! I order this salad at Uno Chicago Grill
HONEY CRISP CHICKEN
Sweet and crispy. Sliced chicken tenders over mixed greens, vermicelli, bacon, red peppers and tomatoes. Topped with shredded Cheddar and tossed with honey mustard dressing.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

Here are 2 that I love. Both are made using Good Seasons Italian dry mix made with Balsamic Vinegar.

1. Marinate boneless chicken breasts in the balsamic and grill.
I use Romaine and baby spinach for the greens. Chop up chicken, tomatoes, carrots, cukes, hard boiled egg, red bell pepper, and goats milk cheese. Those are the main things. You can add whatever else you like for veggies too. Top with the Balsamic for dressing.


2. Romaine lettuce, Granny Smith Apple, Pecans, Cranberries, Feta Cheese. I have had it with red onions, grilled chicken, and tomatoes too. But the first group alone with balsamic dressing is my favorite.

[Laurel]

I like fruity salads: mixed baby greens or baby spinach, fruit, cheese, and nuts.

My favorite combos: dried cranberries, goat cheese, and pine nuts OR pears, bleu cheese, and walnuts OR apples and cheddar.

For more of a meal, I like greens with red pepper, corn, avocado, tomato, black beans, etc.

[gardenschooler]

My salads have just a ridiculous amount of ingredients. I sometimes put *two* of the same thing in! I like sun-dried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes. I like feta cheese and cheddar cheese. And every other kind of cheese, but those are my 'have to haves'.

I start with the lettuce, of course, or spinach, or a mix.

Then I put in the other vegetables - tomatoes, mushrooms, teeny tiny baby carrots (not those huge baby carrots!), artichoke hearts, maybe some avocado (ok, I know that's a fruit, but not for my purposes), and sometimes I'll put in some others - broccoli or squash cut up in pretty small pieces. I'll add fresh sliced bell peppers or red ones if I have them.

I also have to have some kind of fruit in it, either a dried fruit (even raisins will do, but I like some variety) or purple grapes.

Then I start on the toppings. The cheeses. The fruit/nut mix - when I can't find one, I just use Craisins Trail Mix. Slivered Almonds. And a few different kinds of olives. And of course, HUGE yummy croutons.

I try to vary the dressings, and not get stuck in a rut.

That's just for lunch. :tongue_smilie:

If I'm making it into a dinner, I add some of these: bacon, hard-boiled eggs, cooked chicken, shrimp, or albacore tuna.

I also like pickled kinds of vegetables, like the little corn or marinated green beans.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Wow, great suggestions, Ladies! Thank you so much. As the weather gets warmer we eat our veggies (and I guess now fruit too) more in the form of salads and my family will be so glad to have different salads to eat! :hurray:

[Perry]

different so I make a salad bar. Along with a large bowl of various lettuces and spinach, I set out small containers of tomatoes, cukes, onions, carrots, peppers, garbanzo beans, edamame, mushrooms, feta, sunflower seeds, and whatever other assorted veggies I have around. Everyone builds their own. We almost always have this stuff ready to go in the fridge, so we eat salads almost every day.

[Virginia Dawn]

One of my favorite salads- Ensalada Valentino: Romaine lettuce, slice hardboiled eggs, cubed mozarella cheese, sliced mushrooms, some green peas (not canned), drizzle with oil and vinegar, sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper and oregano.

[Doran]

My opinion is that the keys to wonderful salads are the freshness of the greens and the dressing that goes on top. You can use whatever chunky stuff you like with your green(s)....lots of good ideas mentioned in this thread already. But, if you rely solely on bag-o-salad, your end result will be compromised. Try choosing the prettiest variety of head lettuce you can find in your store (better yet, at your farmers' market). Red leaf. Bibb. Romaine. Green leaf. Crispheads. Wash and spin it dry, then tear it into bite-size pieces. Add some other interesting tasting greens, like spring mix, arugula, radish sprouts, etc. Mix in a sampling of other stuff (imho, don't overdo it -- choose a few good partners, such as sunflower seeds, cannelini beans, and fresh Italian parsley; or avocado and grapefruit pieces (or mandarin orange); or pecans with dried cranberries; or flax seeds, hard boiled egg, and cucumber. Use tomatoes when they're in season -- out of season tomatoes are nasty!

Now, the dressing. It is soooo easy to make a really great tasting vinaigrette, so you can always have fresh dressing. The proportion is 2/3 oil to 1/3 acidic ingredient. Apple cider, wine, or balsamic vinegars are popular, but also consider using fresh squeezed orange or lemon juice for the acid. Gently smash a clove of garlic (leave it mostly intact). Add it into the vinegar or other acidic liquid (or a combination of them), and let it sit for maybe 20 minutes. Remove the garlic with a small spoon, and chop super fine (with a sharp knife), using as much as your family likes. I usually use the whole clove! Whisk in enough oil (olive oil is my usual choice, but walnut oil is also good) for that 1/3-2/3 proportion. Pour it in slowly as you whisk to help it emulsify. Add in a splash of soy sauce and, if you like, a splash of toasted sesame oil. Perhaps a teaspoon of each, but it depends on your overall quantity. Add a half tsp. of salt, and some fresh ground pepper. You can also add fresh or dried herbs if you wish. Play with proportions until the taste suits you.

Mmmmm. Now I'm hungry. :001_smile:

[Mom4Jesus]

I start with a heathy pre-washed oranic salad leaf mix like Earthbound organics. They have a variety of greens that look ver gourmet, but they are prewashed, and organic. Then I add whatever I feel like. You can add flax seeds, sunflower seeds and various nuts to mix up the texture and add health value. Try different dressings. You can go with a fruity salad, and a mandarin orange almond salad is always yummy (if you like mandarin oranges and almonds). You could try a rasperry vinigrette dressing. My favorite dressings come from Annie's Naturals (available at the health food stores and some major markets). They have healthy ingredients and a huge variety of ususual yummy flavors. You can also add proteins like chopped chicken, canned tuna, or hard boiled egg.

[Tea 4 Three]

One of my essentials for a good salad is my salad spinner. I bought a really nice one at Sam's a few months ago. I also love nuts (sunflower seeds, almond slices and walnuts in my salad) with a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese, and grape tomatoes.

[karensk]

My spinner is really old, but I've bought this one by Oxo (http://oxo.com/OA_HTML/xxoxo_ibeCCtpOXOPrdDtl.jsp?a=b&item=46556) as a gift; it's the one I eventually want to get, too.

I chop up one or two heads of unwashed romaine lettuce and put it all directly into the spinner to wash & rinse a few times before draining & spinning it dry.

Put the dried lettuce pieces into a large mixing bowl (a stainless steel one that's been refrigerated for at least 10 min. is helpful) to toss the entire salad before serving. Add all the other salad ingredients and toss gently (immediately before serving) so that the dressing gets on all the pieces. If you need to do some prep several hours or even a day ahead, you can wash & spin the chopped lettuce and then put it in a ziploc; using a fork, poke some holes in the bag, then refrigerate until serving time. Other ingredients can be prepped ahead of time, too (their ziplocs don't need airholes), with the exception of the more fragile ingredients like tomatoes, avocado, and ripe pears.

For main dish salads, I like to use torn-up pieces of purchased rotisserie chicken. And my favorite line of dressing is Newman's Own. Grape or cherry tomatoes are great because they don't need to be chopped and then you don't get the seeds & tomato insides all over your salad. (Of course, home-grown is the best...just scrape out the seeds and excess liquid.)

Here are a few combinations for salads...
Cobb
romaine lettuce, rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey, chopped hard-cooked eggs, bacon pieces (not imitation bacon bits), chopped avocado, tomatoes, a few olives (though I usually omit them), basic vinaigrette dressing (http://www.newmansown.com/product_detail.cfm?cat_id=1&prod_id=1)

Ranch-style
romaine lettuce, rotisserie chicken (if it's a main-dish salad), tomatoes, cucumber, shredded cheese, bacon pieces, ranch dressing, croutons

Asian-style
romaine lettuce, rotisserie chicken, tomatoes, julienned red bell pepper, grated carrots, sesame ginger dressing (http://www.newmansown.com/product_detail.cfm?cat_id=7&prod_id=14) or other asian-style dressing, crunchy chow mein noodles

Tomato-ey
romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes (or chopped roma tomatoes), sun-dried tomatoes (chopped into matchstick sized pieces), sun-dried tomato dressing (http://www.newmansown.com/product_detail.cfm?cat_id=7&prod_id=61), croutons

With nuts
In the fall, I like to make this salad with homemade dressing when the pears are ripe. It's really easy: In an oven, toast some nuts (I usually use walnuts or pecans) in a single layer in a shallow pan. While they're toasting, in a glass --not metal-- bowl, stir together some apple cider vinegar (~1/2 c.?) and sugar (~1/4 c.?) until sugar dissolves completely. When nuts are ready, remove them from the oven and pour them directly into the vinegar mixture. Stir quickly, then remove the nuts with slotted spoon to another bowl, setting aside. In another small/med. mixing bowl, whisk together some olive oil (maybe 1/3 c. or more?), a few spoonfuls of the vinegar mixture, and salt & pepper to taste, adding more oil or vinegar mixture til it tastes right. To toss the salad, have all the ingredients ready & prepped, with your large mixing bowl: chopped & washed romaine lettuce, the tangy toasted walnuts, crumbled blue cheese, sliced fresh, ripened pears (my favorite are comice pears) (and canned pears work, too), your homemade dressing.

HTH!

[Unicorn]

:lol: (that's cuz me and elegant don't live on the same planet!) :lol:

Really though, This is very easy: Use bagged Romaine if you want!

I use romaine, maybe a little iceberg, or whatever is on hand. Lot's of baby spinach (from a bag- gasp!) I slice strawberries, add a can of mandarine orange segments, and just before serving, I drizzle on some rasberry vinagrette salad dressing. It is very good!

You could also add toasted pecans, toasted walnuts, or crumbled bacon to it.

[Sue G in PA]

different so I make a salad bar. Along with a large bowl of various lettuces and spinach, I set out small containers of tomatoes, cukes, onions, carrots, peppers, garbanzo beans, edamame, mushrooms, feta, sunflower seeds, and whatever other assorted veggies I have around. Everyone builds their own. We almost always have this stuff ready to go in the fridge, so we eat salads almost every day.


What a great idea! Many of my dc are not salad eaters (or veggie eaters. :glare:), but some are. What a great idea to do a salad bar at home. I'm thinking/typing out loud: I could put out "ingredients" that each child likes (at least one or 2 of each) and have them choose at least 2 to top the salad with. Hmmm...for most of my dc it would be all fruit or pasta, but for my dd11, myself and dh...what a great salad! Thanks for the idea!