Salads

Some ideas to keep salads interesting

Salads and Salad Dressings

There are two main types of salads; tossed and composed. A composed salad is when the ingredients are artfully arranged on a platter or plate and the dressing is drizzled on the top. One famous example is Salade Nicoise, which consists of potatoes, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies and tuna layered beautifully on a plate, drizzled with vinaigrette and topped with Nicoise olives. A tossed salad is just that, greens, veggies, even grains and beans, tossed together in a bit of dressing and served.

Be sure to wash your greens well. Place the greens in a sink or a large bowl of water and move the greens around with your hands, then lift the greens out and you will see that most of the dirt is in the bottom of the sink or bowl. A salad spinner works well to dry your greens, don’t fill it too full and empty the water out occasionally. You can roll up your greens in a flour sack-type towel and store in the refrigerator.

Be sure to choose the freshest seasonal greens you can and eat a wide variety for good health.

Variations for eating seasonally:

Spring and Summer: Baby spinach, arugula, butter lettuce, red and green oak leaf, mache, romaine, beet greens, dandelion greens, raw kale and chard

Autumn and Winter: Escarole, radicchio, endive, frisee, and mixed lettuces in most areas.

Here is one delicious recipe, and photos for inspiration.

Chinese Chicken Salad

This is an excellent summer salad and a favorite with adults or children. I have been making this recipe for so many years I can’t recall its origins. The Mandarin Dressing can be used for a marinade for fish, chicken or tempeh.

Serves 4

· 1/3 cup almonds, raw, chopped

· 1 head Napa Cabbage

· 1 pound shitake mushrooms, sliced, sautéed in 1 tablespoon olive oil

· 1 pound chicken breasts, cooked, shredded or cubed

· 1 cup scallions

· 1 cup snow pea pods, fresh

· 1 cup bean sprouts

· 1 cup water chestnuts

· 1/2 cup red and green bell peppers, sliced

Toast almonds until golden, set aside. Sauté shitake mushrooms in a bit of olive oil; set aside.

Shred Napa Cabbage and place in bowl with all other vegetables and the chicken.

Toss with Mandarin Dressing and then place on bowls, topped with almonds. Place the sliced peppers on top of the salad if you like.

Mandarin Dressing

Serves 10

· 1 ½ cups

· 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

· 3 tablespoons sesame oil, use toasted sesame oil

· 1 tablespoon soy sauce

· 6 ounces pineapple juice, frozen concentrate

· 1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated

· 2 cloves garlic, minced

· 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate.

Health Tip

Almonds contain heart-healthy fats, B vitamins, a significant amount of vitamin E as well as magnesium, copper, zinc, potassium and iron!