Saturday, 30 July 2011
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The Art of the Perfect Salad
When I approach a salad bar, do I plop a bunch of things into my bowl haphazardly until I think I've had my fill?
NO! I practice the fine art of salad-building. My friends have seen me go from one side of the salad bar to the other, back and forth, putting things in a specific order and walking about half a mile in the process.
Alors alors, here is my salad-building process.
BASE: I love romaine lettuce and spinach. I don't know exactly what goes into "mixed greens", but when I see them I get them! Iceberg lettuce is just crunchy water; the deeper the greens, the more nutrients.
VEGGIES: Shredded carrots, cucumber slices (3-5), cherry tomatoes (3-5), mushrooms, red bell pepper slivers. I always do either 3, 4, or 5 of the aforementioned, and I'm generous with carrots. I liked Adding color is essential to a good salad, so I like seeing stuff like radicchio in my salads (although I must admit, I don't really know the taste of radicchio).
FRUITS: Red grapes, apple, pear, and dried cranberries immediately come to mind. Why red grapes? Color. Why dried cranberries and not raisins? I don't really like raisins that much. I don't always add fruit to my salads, but every now and then I do for the bit of sweetness. I haven't tried other berries (strawberries, blueberries, etc.), but maybe I will one day. They had something at school that was similar to pear, but it wasn't. It was yummy though.
DRESSING: I'm not sure what my current favorite dressing of the moment is, but here are a few that I like. Balsamic vinaigrette, raspberry vinaigrette, sesame, peanut, ranch. I lean more towards the lighter dressings because my palate is relatively light.
SALTY & CRUNCHY: Sunflower seeds, crispy wonton noodles, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, croutons. I like adding these so much because they add texture to a salad. Having a bit of savory and a bit of crunch is just divine.
I don't like adding meats, fish, eggs, or cheese to my salads. I will tolerate chicken in my salad, but I don't add it when I'm at a salad bar. Sometimes I'll add tofu, however, if I'm in the mood and need the extra protein.
My favorite salad to order from a restaurant?
Cosi's Signature Salad introduced me to a lot of my ingredients, as you may notice. I also absolutely love their sherry shallot vinaigrette. I get it without Gorgonzola, and it's absolutely delicious.
Plus it comes with this amazing flatbread. Mmmmmm...Anyway! That's my thought process when I order salad from a restaurant or approach a salad bar. If you'll excuse me, I need to wipe the drool of my chin and have some veggies.
Do you have a method to making your salad? What are your favorite ingredients?
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About the Author
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- From: bittersweetromantic@xanga
- Name: Starr
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Comments (34)
Caesar salad without dressing and bacon bits is always my favorite. A lot of people can't believe it, but I love my salad without dressing or anything high in sodium like bacon bits.
Hey, are you sure you weren't right about how I'd build a salad?! I feel the same way you do about the iceberg lettuce and mixed greens...the fact that you prefer dried cranberries over raisins. The only thing different is that I wouldn't put nuts on my salad but that's only because I can't eat them. But I don't mind adding cheese, egg or lean meats to my salad.
@Candilicious_Meanie@xanga - Oooh, no dressing? I feel like I can't eat salad without a little something flavoring it. Do you not eat anything high in sodium in salads besides bacon bits? That's good. I should probably cut the sodium in mine. XD
@HeLLo_Bianca@xanga - Will do!
@babybug329@xanga - We're like kindred salad spirits!
I love salad. I think you can use noodles and also seaweed as salad other than veggies.
Ah, salad. There's a little restaurant my boyfriend and I go to that has amazing salad. Ahhhh. :)
@I_am_naughty@xanga - Oh yeah, there are plenty of other kinds of salads that I love, too. Seaweed salad is super yummy, and I was craving potato salad something crazy a few weeks ago!
@kath27@xanga - Really? What restaurant? What salad? Must try! XD
@bittersweetromantic@xanga - It's a little place called Broad Street Cafe in Durham, North Carolina. Their house salad is just wonderful!
@bittersweetromantic@xanga - Yup no dressing. I prefer to taste the original taste of the veggies. I do add a bit of balsamic vinegar or lemon sometimes but most of the time I still prefer it without any dressing.
sounds a lot like my salads :D Except I never use dressing, and I usually I like some grilled chicken on my salad. Oh, and I only put fruits on top of spinach leaves, heh. I don't know why, but any other type of leaf with fruit on it is unappealing to me...
just in case you.. wanted to know about my salad-eating patterns... haha
Yum yum yum. Wonderful tips on how to build a great salad.
I mix field greens in a small dose of balsamic vinagrette, add some grilled shrimp with avocado slices and shred my own cheese. Oh and roasted red peppers, heat is a must!
I don't know why, but I'm positively addicted to Olive Garden's salad. It's just so tasty <3 Maybe it's the dressing?
LESS greens and more of everything else. Oh and 1000 Island. Sorry but that's a salad to me.
@traveler@xanga -
I am the same way when it comes to salad, less greens more veggies, I do like 1,000, but my usual is a vinaigrette.
@CrystalisLeaves@xanga -
i LOVE their saladm I rarely get an entree at Olive Garden, I do the Soup/ Salad.
@HopeWithinReach@xanga - @CrystalisLeaves@xanga - I'm gonna have to try this salad at Olive Garden then! What's in it?
@bittersweetromantic@xanga -
Really Basic.
Lettuce, Tomatoes, Red Onion, Black Olives and usually 2 Pepperchinies, it's the dressing that makes the salad!
So, I just want to say, what exactly is a salad? When I think of salad I think of everything you've shown up here, but with my mom being sick we've had lots of people bring food over and it's always salad this and salad that. Like salad is a word that white people use to describe any random mixture of things. We had a bunch of beans and it was a bean salad. Someone brought over jello with marshmallows and it was jello salad. So confused lol I'm going to get steak fries, waffle fries, and curly fries and put them all together and call it fried potato salad. Ice Cream Sundaes are now Ice Cream Salad.
@HopeWithinReach@xanga - Mmm, it's usually the dressing! Do you know what kind it is?
@PunkRockCowboy@xanga - Jello salad?? XDD I do feel like "salad" gets tossed around as a term a lot. I don't think jello and marshmallows should count as a salad though. XD
I'ma start serving ice cream salads at parties!@bittersweetromantic@xanga -
It's just an Italian dressing, but I am pretty sure they cut crack in it LOL j/k.
It is SO amazing, I've tried to replicate it, but can't. Next time I may ask what brand they use.
I have them dust mine with fresh grated parmigiana
@HopeWithinReach@xanga - I think they've started selling it in bottles! I've been waiting to get it next time I'm at an Olive Garden.
wow you know the art (so do I though) except I HATE raddichio and I always add french dressing and garbanzo beans (chickpeas). mmm mmm good!
@WaitingToShrug@xanga -
What?! No way! Guess where I am going this weekend, even if I have to go solo!
@HopeWithinReach@xanga - Let me know if it's true, because I'm not completely sure- I hope so! And hey, going places alone is awesome. I love doing it, and I'll bet you have fun. :)