I have pretty bold statement to make: I love (love!) side salads. I'm not talking about the sad mix of limp lettuce and few pathetic veggies, all drowned in some heavy, calorie-fest of a dressing so often trotted out at restaurants as salad. As a result of years of veggie training (thanks, mom!!) I learned that a mix of crisp greens, veggies, and even fruits can, with a little thought, round out a meal perfectly. Sadly, I've noticed over the years that many people just don't understand how to do this. So today, we reclaim the side salad!
Let's first talk a bit about what I mean when I say "side salad." I'm talking here about a lettuce-based dish that includes just a few elements meant to complement a meal. I'm NOT talking about main-course salads, which tend to be more substantial and have multiple ingredients, created to serve as a meal. What we want to create is a simple salad to "round out" the meal. Really, the sky's the limit on putting together salads. I really like to mix together unusual ingredients. You can be as simple or creative as you like.
Over the years I've experimented with many, many salad variations. I finally hit on a simple formula that makes putting together a salad so much easier! So here is my easy peasy "magic" formula:
Lettuce or spinach base plus 2-4 add-ins plus dressing, including one creamy and one crunchy element
In the spirit of "too much information" (my specialty), I'll break this formula down and discuss each element separately. For such a simple formula, this is actually a pretty long post. Feel free to scroll to the section that interests you the most. At the very end you'll find a few tips for incorporating salads into your meals.
Salad Base
I generally use romaine, green or red leaf lettuce, or spinach in side salads. I find that they are the most affordable and most widely available varieties. Of course, there are loads of other options (check out this nifty lettuce glossary!). For example, you could try a spring mix, arugula, or butterhead (sometimes called Boston or Bibb) lettuce, among many others.
Personally I don't care for large lettuce pieces or "chunks" in my salads so I cut the lettuce or spinach into medium or small pieces, or even shred it finely. I also recommend slicing out the thick center stems from large lettuce leaves, particularly with romaine lettuce (see below). I think it is a bit tough and not particularly appetizing. It is easy to slice out the touch section leaving the leafy part behind. I generally do this for the largest leaves, leaving the smaller leaves alone (like the little guys in the corner below).
How much?
Generally I build side salads around the number of people I am serving. I usually prepare about 1-2 cups of cut or shredded lettuce per person, depending on what I'm serving and the people I'm cooking for. For four people I'd use about 1/2-3/4 head of lettuce, depending on the size. Of course, play around with this to find whatever amount works best for you.
What about kale?
While we are pretty big fans of hearty greens over here at Everyday Veggies, I generally don't care for raw kale and tend to avoid it in salads. Personally I find that raw kale is too tough and the flavor too strong for salads. Of course, these are personal preferences. If you do use kale, I recommend shredding it finely, including equal proportions of other ingredients in the salad, and using a substantial dressing (like she does in this tasty Asian kale salad, the notable exception to my no-kale-salad rule).What about cabbage?
Standard green or red cabbage can make a great base for slaws or salads with heavy dressings. However, they both tend to be pretty dense and have to be treated a bit differently than spinach or other lettuces. For those reasons I usually avoid cabbage for my typical side salads. If you decide to use cabbage, look for "slaw"-type recipes, shred it finely, and let the cabbage salad sit in the dressing for awhile before serving. I sometimes use Napa cabbage in side salads, but I always chop it well and include an equal amount of lighter, leafy lettuce (like romaine).
If you ever wondered what the produce case in my grocery store looks like, this picture is for you.
Purchasing
Personally, I like to purchase heads of lettuce or spinach from the produce case rather than the bagged mixes. Cleaning them is a bit more time consuming, but I find it to be MUCH cheaper than buying the bagged stuff. The price-per-pound of bagged mixes (especially spinach) tends to be much higher. Of course, there is something to be said for convenience and sometimes I like the greater variety available in bagged mixes (especially at Trader Joe's), but generally I buy it and clean it on my own.
Cleaning and storing lettuce
I usually clean and dry my lettuce or spinach right when I get home from the grocery store. After throwing out many spoiled heads of lettuce, I've found that I am MUCH more likely to use up my greens if I have them cleaned, prepped, and ready to go in advance.
I generally cut off the bottom stem, separate the individual leaves, and soak the greens in very cold water (with a splash of apple cider vinegar) for about 5-10 minutes. If you're buying spinach, remember to rinse it twice before spinning it dry! I use apple cider vinegar for my produce wash and there are a number of produce washes available online, including some DIYs (just do a quick internet search).
Once your lettuce or spinach is mostly dry, I suggest storing lettuce in
a container or bag (ziptop gallon storage bags or plastic produce bags
from the grocery store both work great) with a paper towel tucked in.
The towel will absorb any extra moisture from the cleaned lettuce and
will prevent the lettuce from drying out, extending its shelf life.
Tip: A salad spinner is extremely helpful (although not totally necessary). I purchased my OXO Salad Spinner a few years ago and I LOVE it. It has become one of my favorite kitchen tools and, in the spirit of avoiding kitchen unitaskers, I also use my salad spinner to dry berries and, on occasion, to spin dry hand-washable clothing instead of wringing it dry. (Just wash it well before and after. :)
Salad Add-ins
This is the part where you get creative with your salad. I recommend using no more than 2-4 add-ins, including both a crunchy and creamy element (the dressing can serve as the creamy element). This keeps the salad simple and adds interesting textures and flavors. Of course, this is not a hard-and-fast rule, but it helps keep things simple for the cook.
Side salads are a great way to use cooked, leftover veggies or other odds and ends from the fridge. For example, some of the salad add-ins I've use: garlic green beans from the previous night's dinner, the remains of a jar of 3-bean salad, or leftover pilaf. Just make sure to adjust your other add-ins and dressing so the flavor profile isn't too overwhelming.
"Creamy" element
I tend to use cheese or dressings for the "creamy" element. My favorites include feta cheese and creamy goat cheese (typically labled chevre), both usually available in the specialty cheese section. These can be a bit spendy, but Trader Joe's has great prices on cheese and a little goes a long way. I also like cotija, available in some standard markets and in Hispanic markets. It is similar to feta, but drier and with a saltier flavor. I usually avoid the standard bagged, shredded cheese, but that is a personal preference.
If you are avoiding dairy, avocado, white beans, and hard boiled eggs are a great way to add creaminess without milk. You can also look for cheese made with sheep or goat milk (like chevre).
"Crunchy" element
I use nuts pretty often for the "crunchy" element, but that certainly isn't necessary. Carrots, cucumbers, peppers, apples, and blanched green beans are great places to start.
How much?
This is highly dependent on what you are adding so I can't really give measurements here. Generally I like a pretty good ratio of add-ins to salad so you get some of the add-in elements in most bites and aren't eating mostly lettuce. You'll get a sense of what I mean from the first picture below. I do suggest keeping your add-ins to bite-sized pieces.
Add-in suggestions
A few of my recent favorite salad combinations are below.
Mom's salad (and my favorite): romaine, apple, walnut, Trader Joe's Pear Champagne Vinaigrette
The "classic": romaine, carrots curls (made with a veggie peeler), tomatoes, and goat cheese with a homemade vinaigrette (not pictured)
"Groovy" salad: lettuce, sprouts, sunflower seeds, and avocado with Annie's roasted red pepper vinaigrette (not pictured)
Romaine, chopped cashews, goat cheese, and sliced strawberries with homemade vinaigrette (not pictured)
Spinach, tomatoes, red onions, sliced almonds, Trader Joe's Pear Champagne Vinaigrette
Romaine lettuce, sliced bell pepper, pepitas, cotija cheese, and homemade vinaigrette with lime (not pictured)
Note: this salad goes GREAT with the black bean and spinach enchilada bake!
Dressing
If you hadn't noticed from my combination suggestions above, I typically make my own dressing or use a small selection of purchased dressings (Trader Joe's Pear Champagne Vinaigrette is my absolute favorite dressing, but, admittedly, a bit of a guilty pleasure). Sometimes I skip the dressing entirely and go straight for a light drizzle of olive oil and vinegar.
Homemade dressing is incredibly easy and, in my opinion, usually much tastier than most bottled dressings. I've found that most off-the-shelf dressings have a lot of sugar and chemicals in them. Plus the calories and fat content can be pretty high. Of course, there is sometimes a place for bottled dressings. I generally trust the Annie's brand and a few varieties of Briannas and Newman's Own. Just pay attention to what is in them.
If you are adding something particularly creamy or with a lot of sauce or preseasoning (like cottage cheese or leftover pesto veggies), consider eliminating the dressing entirely.
How much?
Again, this depends on your preferences. I prefer to keep my salads lightly dressed and I typically leave the dressing out for folks to add their own. When predressing a salad, you can usually get away with less than you think. For example, I recently made a salad for four people and added about 2 1/2 tablespoons of dressing to the bag before shaking it up. The salad had plenty of flavor but the dressing wasn't overwhelming.
Make your own
There are LOADS of homemade vinaigrette dressings online. I generally don't use them, though, as I find many of them overly involved and I can be a lazy cook. Plus, I'm usually making vinaigrette in a mad rush about 3 minutes before guests arrive when I realize that I'm out of my stock of homemade dressing. This means there will be no finely chopping of shallots or whisking things together. It's the jar method all the way for me!
So. . . I typically "eyeball" my vinaigrette recipe. Below are some general guidelines for the base. I often jazz it up depending on how I'm feeling and what flavor profile I'm working with. This is a pretty loose method (again, I can be a lazy cook). If you need more precision, this recipe from food.com is pretty good and pretty close to what I do. I like to make a lot of vinaigrette and keep it in the refrigerator. I use is pretty fast, but I imagine it would last a week or so.
Micah's Lazy Vinaigrette
3-6 tablespoons olive oil (grapeseed or another light, flavorful oil would work here)
2-4 tablespoons acid (lemon juice or vinegar or some combination of both)
About 1/4 or 1/2 of a garlic clove, finely grated (a microplane is really handy here) (optional, sort of - I do this about half the time depending on laziness levels and flavor profiles)
Dash of spice - salt-free seasoning, Italian blend, etc. (optional - but not really)
Tiny pinch of salt and black pepper
1. Combine in a jar or container with a tight lid and shake until combined.
Some of my favorite and most commonly used variations:
- Dollop of plain yogurt (around 2-3 teaspoons or so, depending on how much I'm making)
- Small dollop of Dijon mustard (around 1/2 to 1 teaspoon - a little goes a long way here!)
- Lime or orange juice (freshly squeezed) in place of lemon juice
- Finely chopped fresh herbs (thyme, mint, and tarragon work really well)
- Finely crumbled soft cheese (gorgozola, feta, etc.) - this works best when making a larger amount
- Small dollop (1-2 teaspoons) jam or jelly (you can also make dressing in an empty jam or jelly jar before washing it - you'll pick up the bits of jam when shaking the vinaigrette)
- Dollop (1-2 teaspoons) of pesto
Tips for Serving Salad
- Use a pretty serving bowl.
- Serve salad first! A friend recently shared this tip with me. She always has salad ready first for her kids to eat while she finishes dinner. This is a great way to help kids get in the habit of eating more veggies and keep the pre-dinner grumbling to a minimum. It's also a good trick for dinner parties if the cook is running behind and the diners are getting peckish.
- Use salad add-ins that complement your meal's flavor profile. For example, make a salad using the same veggies or type of cheese that you are using in your main dish. If you're making a certain type of food (for example, TexMex), use similar spices in the vinaigrette (like cumin or finely chopped cilantro) or pick some add-ins that complement that type of food (bell peppers, tomatoes, black beans, etc.).
- Use seasonal produce. It is cheaper and will round out your meal well. For example, a salad with peaches or plums is a great complement to a mid-summer meal cooked on the grill.
- If you don't expect leftovers, dress the salad before serving. Unfortunately, pre-dressed salad gets pretty limp and gross pretty fast. To pre-dress a salad, add the salad and dressing to a ziptop storage bag or produce bag, seal or tightly hold it closed and shake like crazy. You can also add the dressing to the bottom of the serving bowl and toss repeatedly with salad tongs.
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