THE "PIMP MY SALAD" THREAD

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

GOT SALAD?

What's in it?
What sort of dressings?
How often do you eat salads?
What are some of your favorite salad additions?

This thread is for everything and anything about salads... salads...salads!

[thyme4change]

I'm not a huge salad fan. I think I've burned out on them. But, I did find a couple things I liked.

Aarti - winner of "Next Food Network Star" did a Kale salad that was "massaged." I didn't follow the recipe, but I did buy the kale, and massaged it according to the directions, but then I used the Salad Pizzazz that has dried fruits and nuts instead of toasting pumpkin seeds and cutting a mango (boy am I lazy.) It was pretty decent. The recipe is somewhere on foodnetwork.com

The other thing I found was to take romaine and chop into very small pieces and dress with a really light Caesar or really any type of dressing. You can mix that with shredded carrot or a very small dice of pepper or cucumber. Then get some endive and lay out the leaves so they create a little cup. If you use a spray bottle you can spray a light vinaigrette onto each leave, then place some of the dressed romaine, and then top with one or two tiny croutons or whatever type of topping. They are a great option for "finger food" - I usually set them out at parties or during holidays when I do a buffet. Making a salad a quick 2 or 3 bite thing that you can do with your fingers is so much more appealing than a gigantic bowl of leafy greens. It isn't necessarily worth the time or money for a regular dinner - but if you are going for a pot luck, you will be surprised at who suddenly loves salad. (Teen aged boys asking for more?!)

[Deleted]

Cauliflower salad!!! It's my new all time favourite! You cook the cauliflower and let it cool. Then you mix in mayo, bacon bits, green onions, bolied eggs and chopped celery like you would with a potato salad. Mmmmmmmmm I love it.

[thyme4change]

Mayo and bacon bits?! Is this the healthy living board? LOL.

Not that Cesear Salad dressing, croutons and cheese are any better for you! As I suggested. Maybe I chickened out and didn't mention the cheese. I think "any topping" was code for "I load my salad up with all kinds of crap that makes it unhealthy."

[Malarky]

Greens
Fruit
Nuts
Cheese
Vinagarette

My favorite is spring mix with toasted walnuts, mangoes, bleu cheese and raspberry vinaigrette.
I also use any type of lettuce or spinach
pecans, cashews, walnuts and almonds
mandarin oranges, craisins, any dried fruit, diced apple in lemon juice, blueberries, blackberries
feta, swiss, cheddar, chevre
any vinaigrette.
The possibilities are endless.

[Deleted]

thyme I am doing Atkins and I'm in the first stage right now. So I can have those things, yay me! But also you don't need to use much to get the flavour through the whole thing. Especially if you are willing to make it the night before.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I eat a lot of romaine, spinach, broccoli, mung bean sprouts, sugar snap peas, shredded carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, red pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus and radishes. I tend to mix-and-match my salad veggies, and then top them with fresh salsa and a few spritzes of balsamic vinaigrette. And, of course, spices like basic, oregano, onion, garlic, and lemon pepper.

As a general rule, I don't add cheese, fruit, bread (croutons) or high calorie dressings.

[Tiny]

I didn't go shopping so I'm "gleaning" evening salads from the crisper:
Romaine, radishes, green onion, tomatos, and cuke.
The romaine and green onions are alittle sad so I clean and cut up the lettuce, clean and cut off the roots of the green onions and let them soak in some cold water to "refresh".
While that's going on, I cut up a tomato, radishes, and some cuke. Put those in the salad bowl and then give 'em a shake of salt and a couple of shakes of garlic powder and finish up with some fresh Italian Seasonings. Chop up the green onions and then drain and spin the lettuce. Toss it all together and if you want hit it with some salad dressing (I use non-fat, lo cal kind). I sometimes don't bother with the salad dressing...
I had a couple of rolls left over from Christmas... so I cut one up into cubes and put it in the toaster oven to toast to make croutons of sorts. Added the single cut up roll (it has no redeeming nutritional value) to my salad. I broke up the second one and tossed it for the birds/squirels.

[Cookies Galore]

I love, love, love ginger dressing, so I normally use that as my salad dressing. Sometimes just a tomato and spinach is alright by me.

[Deleted]

What is ginger dressing? Do you have a recipe?

[Cookies Galore]

Jan 5, 2011 11:53:20 GMT -5 @justaposter said:

What is ginger dressing? Do you have a recipe?

It's the salad dressing you get on a salad at a Japanese place. I just buy it in the store. I'm sure I could make it. Makoto makes a great ginger dressing I buy at the grocery store.

[Deleted]

I love salads. Whatever kind of salad I'm eating must include some sort of nut and a fruit. The crunch of the nuts and the sweetness of the fruit make it complete.

[wvugurl26]

The cafeteria at work makes some great salads. Generally not the healthiest thing but oh so good.
Today's had mixed greens (?), maple glazed turkey, cheddar, dried cranberries, walnuts, bacon, granny smith apples, and raspberry vinaigrette.
My favorite one has spinach, grilled chicken, strawberries, blueberries, almonds, gorgonzola, and orange honey poppy seed dressing.

[HoneyBBQ]

My salads are usually:
Mixed greens or baby spinach
What ever veggies I have around - cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, baby carrots, peppers, etc.
Must have cheese: Usually goat cheese or feta
Usually has a fruit: blueberries, raspberries, maybe dried cranberries
Must have a nut: Usually sauteed pine nuts or walnuts... sometimes pumpkin seeds.
Dressing is 90% of the time balsamic vinaigrette

[The J]

My salads tend to be eclectic -- I'll throw in whatever I've got, so they're seasonal. One of my favorites in the summer is chickpeas, tomato, red onion, sesame seeds and a red wine vinaigrette (with peanut and a splash of toasted sesame oil)

[Deleted]

Hmm I love salads. Quick, easy, and oh so yummy what more could a person ask for? I think my favorite salad is baby spinach with strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, cherry tomato., flax seed, Japanese pear, mango, shallots & mandarin orange with homemade raspberry vinaigrette.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I love asian pears

[marvholly]

I pretty much eat 1 large SALAD every day (at least 5-6x/week). Some are side salads where I vary the lettuce base (spinach, romaine, leaf, boston, spring mix….), dressing/toppings of various veggies (zucchini, celery, bell pepper, tomato, cuke, bean sprouts, mushrooms, …), seeds & nuts on a daily, what is on special basis.

Others are entrée salads where I can top w/leftover roast chicken, roast beef/steak, taco meat, fajitas, beans, cheese, cooked lentils, shredded cheese……

If I am using a regular salad dressing I often cut it w/wine vinegar or rice vinegar to reduce the calorie content.

Personally, I do NOT mix sweet (fruits) and salty=ies, but that is just me.

Latebloomer
Your cauliflower salad is a LOT like the SBD faux baked potato recipe that I have used for MANY years. Main diff is hot vs. cold.

[mmhmm]

I haven't seen jicama (pronounced hee kah mah) mentioned as a salad ingredient. It's a South American tuber that's similar in consistency to a water chestnut, but with a sweeter taste (if you use the small ones. The larger ones tend to have less flavor.). Its crunchy consistency really adds a lot to a salad. I'll just wander around chewing on a chunk. Love the stuff. Here's a link to some information on jicama:
www.wisegeek.com/what-is-jicama.htm

[The J]

I love jicama. In the summers, I make a fennel and jicama slaw.

[thyme4change]

I love jicama - and my daughter loves it, so we have it in the house often. I find if I put it into a green salad, she just picks out all the jicima - so I just serve it on a plate. We do a plate of raw veges a lot. My kids will munch on carrots, cucumbers, jicama, tomatoes, peppers, green onions, pea pods and sometimes broccoli. If I don't put out any dip or dressing, they still eat. When I do put out dip, they dip - like crazy. So, I try to either not do that or do hummus.

I love fennel and jicama slaw!

[Abby Normal]

I usually do mixed lettuces, but I love dikon and jicama. Those are a staple for any salad in our house. I love adding avacado too.

No fruit. Fruit does not belong on a salad.

[chiver78]

I'm keeping one of those Lock'nLock containers in the fridge with pre-cut salad greens, ready to go. the biggest deterrent to me having salad with each meal is that my typical base greens are a few ingredients. if I had to chop a single serving each time, I wouldn't ever have salad.

into my container goes:
roughly chopped iceberg lettuce, 1 full head
roughly chopped romaine lettuce, 5-6 leaves
frizzled radicchio, 1/2 a head

to this, I will add large chopped chunks of cuke, green pepper, radish, and mushroom. a few grape tomatoes, a light sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, homemade croutons, and that Italian dressing I use for my pasta salad, and voilà - lunch!

[reader79]

Romaine lettuce, cucumbers or sliced pickles (I prefer pickles,) marinated artichoke hearts, marinated mushrooms, green olives, dark red kidney beans, red onion - only in the last year or so have I become a fan of the red onion - avocado.....occasionally I will put a few small pieces of tomato in for color, but I can do without these.

No cheese or meat (I don't eat either,) no fancy lettuces or spinach. I use Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing mixed with Wish Bone French. I used to eat them at least every other day, but the amount of prep work gets annoying. So I have been skipping all the other ingredients and just eating artichokes and dressing.

[reader79]

I also make a 3-bean salad with cut green beans, red kidney beans, chick peas, tri-color rotini pasta and olives (black and green.) I chop red onions and add Italian dressing for flavor.

MY potato salad is my grandmother's recipe, and it just has peeled, boiled potatoes, thinly sliced cucumbers and onions, cider vinegar, vegetable oil, parsley, and salt and pepper. I usually add the Adobo lemon & pepper seasoning and a few capfuls of the Newman's Own.

[thyme4change]

Hey all you creative salad-people...

I just got three free bunches of spinach. It won't last long. My husband loves spinach salad. What do I need to buy / do to make a great spinach salad for him. Please - no bacon.

[The J]

Toss grape tomatos with olive oil and salt then roast at 350 degrees for ~10 minutes. Mix with spinach, walnuts/pecans and shaved parmesean. Top with a light red wine vinegarette.

[Frugal Nurse]

Mmm..salad... I eat salad every day, sometimes twice a day! I use organic baby spring mix with herbs, carrots, broccoli, corn, snow peas, tomatoes (only during the summer when I can grow them. store bought tomatoes don't taste like a real tomato should!), chick peas, whole wheat croutons, a little Parmesan cheese, and light Italian dressing. It is so yummy!

[Frugal Nurse]

Jan 18, 2011 15:05:00 GMT -5 The J said:

Toss grape tomatos with olive oil and salt then roast at 350 degrees for ~10 minutes. Mix with spinach, walnuts/pecans and shaved parmesean. Top with a light red wine vinegarette.

That sounds delicious!

[thyme4change]

It does sound delicious. I bought the grape tomatos, and everything else, and then my husband steamed the spinach.