With the weather heating up, I’ve been eating plenty of salads these days, and I’ll be the first to admit it’s easy to get stuck in a rut with these leafy green meals in a bowl. They can seem boring at times. But that just wasn’t the case with the salad I made today.
What made today’s salad so special is that I spiced it up and loaded it with the vegetables I love. The finished product displayed a rainbow of colors and tons of flavor, almost too pretty to eat.
When making a salad, I try to survey everything in my refrigerator and pull out the ingredients I think may be a good fit.
Starting with greens as my base, I usually rely on mixed greens but I also try to add other greens, in this case, watercress. Spinach, bok choy, arugula and dandelion greens are also a good choice. If I have herbs like cilantro and chives, I’ll toss those in too. Parsley, basil or scallions work also.
Next I go for color – always a yellow or orange pepper, I love fennel so I always have it around. Today I added purple cabbage because it was leftover from something I made earlier this week. A carrot or gently steamed sweet potato add sweetness and cucumber is a shoo in.
Finally, I garnish and top the salad. If I have olives, I’ll add a few and I always sprinkle some nuts or seeds for added crunch and protein – today I used pumpkin seeds but sesame seeds, hemp seeds or sunflower seeds are perfect. A few slices of avocado and a generous squeeze of lemon finishes off any salad and adds lots of flavor. If you want bold flavor and aren’t planning on going anywhere or having close conversations, consider a bit of red onion or chopped garlic which naturally fight illness and infection.
My go-to salad dressing is simple: A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. But if I have extra time, I’ll make my favorite homemade Goddess Dressing.
What are your favorite salad combos?
Leave a Reply