How to Make a Salad
Salads are one of the easiest parts of a meal to prepare and can even stand alone as a meal in and of itself by adding a little chicken, steak or even tofu to the mix. It's also a highly effective way to get your daily dose of vegetables.
With my mise en place approach which breaks cooking down to three ten minute increments -- preparation is king. The most important part of a salad is the greens and too often people tend to use rather plain looking and tasting iceberg lettuce as their salad staple. I like mixing it up a little with either a package of mixed green or arugula lettuce as it adds color and a richer taste to your salad.
If you have the time, rinse and drain fresh lettuce using either a salad spinner or a clean dish towel to make sure the lettuce is completely dry before placing in the salad bowl. Rip the lettuce into small, bite-sized pieces on the way into the bowl. When using green lettuce, I tend to use just four or five leaves so that the lettuce doesn't overpower the other items in the salad bowl. Bagged lettuce is much easier though for fathers on the go -- just make sure to use it within a few days of buying it as they are made to be used pretty quickly.
One of the best things about salads is that you can put together just about any combinations of fresh vegetables and even some fruits and it will taste great. I like chopping up a couple of stalks of celery, two tomatoes and half of a large cucumber to keep it simple. I often throw a handful of sprouts on top as well.
There are so many combinations of salad dressings at the store these days that you can put just about anything you want on your salad. If you are watching your weight, make sure to check the back label as a lot of the creamier dressings have a high fat content. For people with heart issues, many of the salad dressings also have a high sodium level that might be worth noting. The "light" versions are usually just as tasty but are likely to have less fat, carbohydrates and sodium.
That being said -- I think it is healthier and more fun to make your own if you have the time. Many bottled salad dressings are expensive and can contain cottonseed oil, palm oil, vegetable oil and others that are not very good for you and have to be refrigerated. I often make my own vinaigrette with one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to every three of extra virgin olive oil. Just put the 1:3 ratio in a container and embellish it with herbs. I like putting 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of italian herbs, 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika in the mix. Salad dressing flasks are available at the store which provide you with marks on the side for measuring your oil to vinegar ratio -- then all you have to do is shake it up.
Dressing should never overpower a salad and I always try to obtain a light coating of dressing by drizzling a couple of lines of dressing atop the salad and then mixing. You can always add more. Sometimes its best to have dressing on the table for people to self serve as well.
Finally, salads are a perfect way to utilize last night's bit of chicken breast, steak or turkey. Just about any meat can be added to a salad to make a hearty lunch that tastes great!
With my mise en place approach which breaks cooking down to three ten minute increments -- preparation is king. The most important part of a salad is the greens and too often people tend to use rather plain looking and tasting iceberg lettuce as their salad staple. I like mixing it up a little with either a package of mixed green or arugula lettuce as it adds color and a richer taste to your salad.
If you have the time, rinse and drain fresh lettuce using either a salad spinner or a clean dish towel to make sure the lettuce is completely dry before placing in the salad bowl. Rip the lettuce into small, bite-sized pieces on the way into the bowl. When using green lettuce, I tend to use just four or five leaves so that the lettuce doesn't overpower the other items in the salad bowl. Bagged lettuce is much easier though for fathers on the go -- just make sure to use it within a few days of buying it as they are made to be used pretty quickly.
One of the best things about salads is that you can put together just about any combinations of fresh vegetables and even some fruits and it will taste great. I like chopping up a couple of stalks of celery, two tomatoes and half of a large cucumber to keep it simple. I often throw a handful of sprouts on top as well.
There are so many combinations of salad dressings at the store these days that you can put just about anything you want on your salad. If you are watching your weight, make sure to check the back label as a lot of the creamier dressings have a high fat content. For people with heart issues, many of the salad dressings also have a high sodium level that might be worth noting. The "light" versions are usually just as tasty but are likely to have less fat, carbohydrates and sodium.
That being said -- I think it is healthier and more fun to make your own if you have the time. Many bottled salad dressings are expensive and can contain cottonseed oil, palm oil, vegetable oil and others that are not very good for you and have to be refrigerated. I often make my own vinaigrette with one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to every three of extra virgin olive oil. Just put the 1:3 ratio in a container and embellish it with herbs. I like putting 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of italian herbs, 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika in the mix. Salad dressing flasks are available at the store which provide you with marks on the side for measuring your oil to vinegar ratio -- then all you have to do is shake it up.
Dressing should never overpower a salad and I always try to obtain a light coating of dressing by drizzling a couple of lines of dressing atop the salad and then mixing. You can always add more. Sometimes its best to have dressing on the table for people to self serve as well.
Finally, salads are a perfect way to utilize last night's bit of chicken breast, steak or turkey. Just about any meat can be added to a salad to make a hearty lunch that tastes great!
Labels: salad
posted by Nels Henderson at
2:48 PM
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