Making Salad a Filling Meal



Before it gets chopped:
Who could resist all of these
flavors and colors?

 Most people think of salad as white, tasteless lettuce with three flakes of carrots that they pour out of a bag, but as my family uses salad as an entree, our salads have to be ripe with flavor and filling.  Even better, they are quick and easy to make, so perhaps it is time to rethink your definition of salad, and here are seven steps to get you started:

1.  Choose a better lettuce: Lettuce and most greens are on the "dirty list," so splurge and buy organic lettuce; I am obsessed with Organic Girl greens, as they will introduce you to the great taste of lettuce (yes, lettuce does have flavor).  They have a 50/50 mix of greens and spinach, but the mixed greens are my favorite.

2.  Add your favorite veggies: Vidalia onions are the best, but any sweet onion or a bold purple can be great, bell pepper, tomato (if they are out of season, I like Roma's, but you could also dice a cherry or grape tomato, carrot, avocado, cucumber, or mushroom.

3.  Reach for something sweet: dice an apple, or sprinkle with cran-raisins, but try strawberries, peaches, pear, or any other favorite fruit.
4.  Some like it hot: saute or bake asparagus, chicken, turkey, salmon, or even your left-over lean steak.
5.  Experiment with how you chop: my family loves paper thin, long cuts of onion, and will use a peeler to shave off pieces of bell pepper and carrot.  You can also mix in avocado so that it actually coats the salad and helps dressing go further.


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6.  Top it: choose your favorite cheese from Parm to goat or feta, but do not over-do it, as cheese can easily over-power your other vegetables, and then add your dressing.  As I suggest in a "Try It Bite," my family buys oil-based dressings and pours off 80% of the oil or we use Good Seasons Italian to make our own, using about 30% of the oil called for in the recipe.  Drizzle your salad dressing over the mixing bowl that holds all of your veggies, using less than what you think you need.

7.  Chop it: take a large knife and fork and make 3-4 cuts across and all the way through your salad; rotate your bowl and repeat.  Then stir it all up so that in one bite you get a great mix of a bunch of flavors.  Finally, let it sit for a few minutes, as this will allow the dressing to sink in and flavors to mingle, so that you actually use less dressing.