THE "PIMP MY SALAD" THREAD

[The J]

Jan 20, 2011 10:47:03 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

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

Lol. Get some more spinach. Putting the hot tomatos on the raw spinach will wilt it just a little, which brings out some great flavors.

[thyme4change]

I probably will get more spinach - I haven't done next week's meal plan - however, my daughter now knows there are grape tomatoes in the house, which means I will have to get more tomatoes, too.

[The J]

Jan 20, 2011 11:01:30 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

I probably will get more spinach - I haven't done next week's meal plan - however, my daughter now knows there are grape tomatoes in the house, which means I will have to get more tomatoes, too.

Roast the tomatos like I described, but tossed in a neutral oil (peanut or canola instead of olive). Toast some walnuts. Mix with couscous and raisins.

Make a dressing out of a little peanut butter (you can melt it in the microwave to make it work easier, or just make the dressing in a blender), the neutral oil, a few dashes of sesame oil (if you have it), lemon juice, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.

[Frappuccino]

Laterbloomer, that cauliflower salad sounds great! I am going to make it tonight!

[marjar]

Dried cranberries and slivered almonds made an otherwise so-so restaurant salad pop.

[dividend]

I had gotten SO bored with my usual salads - spring mix, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta, homemade vinaigrette. I would plate them up, or pack them in our lunches, and just DREAD eating them. I realized that I had just started to hate the boring texture of those soft lettuces with vinaigrette on them. So one day, on a whim, I bought a package of "braising greens" from Whole Foods. It's a mix of sturdy, crunchy, interesting things - raddichio, frise, endive, kale, chard , etc. I've been using that as a salad base for a while, and it's great - crunchy textures, stronger flavors, just all around much more interesting to eat. I've started topping it with raw snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers - anything with good taste and crunch.

Also - Annie's Sesame Ginger dressing is THE BOMB. I don't normally buy salad dressing, but this stuff rocks!

[servant_of_dog]

Chopped red cabbage adds a lot of both visual and crunch appeal. I like to start with baby field greens, and add watercress, cabbage, broccoli, shredded carrot, kidney beans and half an avocado. I use a scoop of cottage cheese instead of dressing. It's been months and I'm still not tired of eating this nearly every day.
A co-worker tipped me off that leaving the pit in the remaining half of the avocado (wrapping tightly in plastic and storing in the refrigerator) keeps the flesh from turning that sickly brown/grayish-green color. It really works! I love avocado.
*I add the avocado just before I eat my salad. Everything else is assembled in advance, and I just keep the avocados in the fridge at work.

[Artemis Windsong]

Ramen Oriental Chicken Salad.
Taco Salad with any left over meat.
Chicken salad.
Egg Salad made like deviled eggs. I get more servings than making deviled eggs.

[NancysSummerSip]

I know this is going to sound strange (and look away, vegetarians), but I love my hamburger salad:

burger patty, with or without cheese, heated or a reheated leftover, chopped up, plus:
lettuce, tomato, sauteed onion, some pickles (either relish or chopped kosher dill) and dressing (I like Thousand Island with this).

I've used ground turkey burgers, and it works fine. I like the Boca Burgers and Morningstar Farms burgers, but never tried them as a salad component.

[yogi]

I make my own version of Applebee's oriental chicken salad. I buy a package of romaine salad mix and add in cabbage mix, diced chicken strips (usually grilled, but sometimes I used fried chicken strips) chow mein noodles and sunflower seeds because I am not a fan of almonds. Oriental dressing or any type of vinaigrette goes well with this salad. Sometimes I roll the salad into a tortilla to make a wrap and it's delicious! Much cheaper than buying it from Applebee's too.