Salad is delightfully flexible: it can start a meal, it can finish a meal, or it can be the entire meal. It’s up to you!
Salad greens are plentiful in spring from the grocery store, the farmer’s market, or your backyard veggie garden. Rinse them well in cool tap water, gently shake off the excess water, pat them dry, and then pile them high as a starting point to your homemade salad.
Salad in Layers
Layer 1: Greens are a great layer to start with when making a salad. There are so many choices such as Romaine, iceberg, kale, arugula, watercress, or spinach.
Layer 2: Colorful, cut-up or shredded raw vegetables add crunch and nutrition to a salad. Mix and match whatever colors you like such as orange carrots and red radishes, purple cabbage and yellow Bell peppers, or red tomatoes and red onions.
Layer 3: Fresh herbs give bold flavor to a salad. Use one, two, or three different herbs such as parsley, cilantro, dill, mint, oregano, or chives.
Layer 4: A homemade dressing is a fantastic choice for a salad. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) goes well with many other flavors such as fresh lemon, lime, or orange juice, balsamic or red wine vinegar, or one of these with a dab of spicy mustard and/or minced garlic.
Salad as an Entire Meal
When you feel like eating something on the light side or you have an abundance of spring greens coming from your home garden then it’s smart to make salad your entire meal. Here are a few to try:
Meal 1: Spinach greens + Shredded purple cabbage + Grated carrots + Tuna Salad + EVOO-Lemon dressing
Meal 2: Arugula greens + Red Bell pepper strips + Any color olives + Canned & drained sardines + Fresh lime juice as dressing
Meal 3: Kale greens + Sliced red radishes + Sliced mini cucumbers + Fresh dill + Sliced cold chicken breast + EVOO-Balsamic vinegar dressing
Meal 4: Leaf lettuces + Chopped celery + Fresh parsley + Red onions + Canned & drained chickpeas + EVOO-Red wine vinegar-Spicy mustard dressing
Salad to Encourage More Fruits and Veggies
It’s so important to encourage yourself and your family members to eat more fruits and veggies – for flavor, crunch, color, and good health at every age. Here’s an earlier blog about incorporating fruits and veggies into your day-to-day food plan. Here’s more good information about all the various ways to add fruits and veggies for delicious nutrition. Take a stand and, when you do, stand for plenty of fruits, vegetables, and salads on everyone’s meal plate!