I’m a salad lover. I’m one of those people that feels a meal is not complete without a mound of leafy greens. Besides rounding out the color on your plate, salads also add a vibrant dose of nutrients and minerals and help you feel more full which may dissuade you from overeating heavier foods you’d regret later.
So here’re ways I incorporate leafy and other greens into meals that even picky eaters enjoy.
Basic leafy greens salad– A standard item at our farm stand, year round, is lettuce mix. It is a variety of red and green tender baby lettuce leaves cut at a young age. We also have a variation we call salad mix which is lettuce mix with added baby brassica greens like baby red and green mustard for added flavor and color. The greens are typically washed, dried and ready to serve right out of the bag (though you can give them your own rinse if you like).
Lettuce mix is so easy to use because there is no prep needed other than dressing. So many weeknight dinners or quick picnic lunches have a simply dumped the bag right into a bowl, dressed and was out the door. This may sound odd, but lettuce mix is the softest green we grow and so most people find it easy to chew and hence eat.
Dressing ideas– here’s where you can express your self. My personal go-to dressing is balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a crushed garlic clove, a pinch each of salt and pepper and some dried thyme. This dressing is easy to make from items in my cabinet and satisfies all the needs for bright-tangy-filling-salty that I tend to seek out in a dressing.
In fact, many great dressings can be made from condiments sitting around your fridge or cabinet. Here’re what I reach for most, in whatever combination strikes me that day:
- Balsamic vinegar
- Reduced balsamic glaze
- Apple cider vinegar
- Rice wine vinegar
- Olive oil
- Sesame oil
- Tahini
- Mustard (any prepared mustard)
- Honey
- Soy sauce/tamari/ liquid aminos
- Fruit jam
- Fresh chopped herbs (basil, thyme, fennel are favorites)
- Garlic
I’m a label reader (or at least a glancer). I avoid dressings with high fructose corn syrup, sugar, soybean oil, canola oil, MSG and ingredients I generally can’t pronounce.
Want to make your salad sweeter (dare I say, more kid friendly?)
- Add some fruit slices on top of the greens like apples, peaches, grapes or dried cranberries
- Sneak in a spoonful of prepared fruit jam to vinaigrette salad dressing
- Use a balsamic glaze instead of balsamic vinegar for an added sweetness boost
Want to make your salad more filling? Protein is Queen. Here are some addition possibilities:
- Nuts (try unsalted and salt the full salad to your liking before serving)
- Cottage cheese
- Cheese chunks of choice (mozzarella, feta, colby jack, etc)
- Rinsed canned beans
- Cooked lentils
- Sliced serving of cooked fish, chicken, steak or pork chop
Though a basic lettuce mix salad with vinaigrette is what I use the most, here are some other simply leafy combos you can try:
Breakfast salad– Arugula and apples slices dressed with jam vinaigrette or maple syrup. I love this because it makes me feel better about the big stack of maple-syrup cover pancakes or powdered sugar donuts I’m having so early in the day.
Massaged kale salad– Raw kale hand-worked with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette, toasted pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, cooked quinoa.
Bok choy salad– Chopped bok choy and sliced salad turnips, dressed with tahini, rive wine vinegar and liquid aminos. Serve over sushi rice and top with chopped peanuts
Caprese salad– Sliced mountain magic tomatoes, leaf basil, mozzarella slices or pearls, balsamic glaze drizzle. Add sliced cucumbers for extra color and crunch.
Roasted veggie salad– Pre-roasted beets, delicta squash or eggplant, feta, fresh herb vinaigrette, lettuce mix, arugula or spinach. Add combos of hot cooked veggies with fresh raw greens for a filling presentation-grade dish.
Use your imagination! What can you come up with?