Salads don’t have to be boring, in fact, they can be downright crave-worthy!
Easy salad recipes, chicken salad recipes, steak salad, salad side dishes and main meal salad recipes. Homemade salad dressing and homemade croutons!
I’m totally guilty of sometimes skipping the salad section on menus. Always the same stuff:
- Garden Salad
- Southwest Salad
- Caesar Salad
- Cobb Salad
Boring! I’m here to tell you that salads don’t have to be boring. In fact, you might find one that you dream about. Here are my tips for better salads and a few recipes I think you’ll enjoy!
ONE. Don’t feel the pressure to have everything on a bed of lettuce. Lettuce doesn’t make it a salad.
Use a variety of vegetables and other goodies to make a lush salad, but one with some personality.
Many salads don’t even use greens at all. Think chicken salad, macaroni salad or egg salad!
TWO. Chop veggies into different shapes. Shave using a mandolin slicer (aff), julienne or dice. Shaved zucchini or cucumber, even asparagus, will add a whole new texture.
THREE. Think about color. When thinking of a salad either go with the rainbow or a monochromatic vision.
Make your entire salad orange and yellow. Use the same ingredient, but cut and prepared in different ways. Raw, sauteed, pickled and steamed.
FOUR. Ditch the idea that all salad toppings need to be raw. Entire salads can be cooked or just certain elements.
FIVE. Toss in fresh herbs such as parsley or basil. I actually save all of the stems and pieces from my fresh herbs from other recipes and toss them in! Don’t let any of those fragrant and tasty pieces go to waste.
SIX. If using kale or any other rough green, massage the leaves by rubbing together to break them down into silky leafs.
SEVEN. Season properly. Ingredients should be dry, toss with salt and pepper and then your choice of dressing. It will stick better to dry greens or vegetables. Use a salad spinner (aff) for best results.
EIGHT. Use one main ingredient, but prepare it three ways. For example, prepare a carrot salad with pickled, shaved raw and grilled slices of carrot.
NINE. Make sure your salad is dry. Use a salad spinner or dab the ingredients with a paper towel.
The salad will season better and dressing will stick better to dry ingredients. You don’t want your lovely seasonings sticking to just the wet spots and not evenly distributing through the salad, do you?
TEN. Salt your salad while still dry. Salt and toss before you add dressing, otherwise salt can stick to certain pieces and not evenly distribute through the salad.
ELEVEN. Toss your salad with your hands. I know, some people will cringe, but after you’ve done this a few times, you’ll start to find that a perfectly dressed salad has a feeling, something you can’t see when tossing with a spoon.
TWELVE. Finish your salad with a homemade dressing. How else would you pair your perfect salad? Here are some of my favorite homemade salad dressings:
- Greek Yogurt Salad Dressing
- Caesar Vinaigrette No Anchovies
- Avocado Green Goddess Dressing
- Roasted Jalapeno and Onion Dressing
- Lime Mustard Dressing
- Sweet Miso Ginger Dressing
