I’ll admit it, my relationship with salad had its rocky beginnings. In my youth, I hated vegetables and there was no way I was going near anything that leafy, and that green. As a child I could not understand why would anyone eat an entire bowl full of what I just pulled out of my sandwich. But thankfully, as I got older, I began to look at vegetables with a bit more open mind. Salads started to look like maybe they were kind of cool, and that cool people ate them. I started slowly; gagging down a few greens smothered in creaming dressing and croutons on rare occasions.
Then came adolescence; high school and the years of dieting that followed. During this time, I was on a “diet” every single day of my life. Yo-yoing back and forth between dieting, failing, and putting myself down. I choked down countless lack luster bowls of greens because salads were “healthy”, “low-fat”, and “diet food”, or because I had binged on some other “not diet food” and felt that I only deserved to eat salad. These morphed into my “healthy vegetarian” days, when, again I ate daily bowls of greens for the sole reason that they were healthy, and that made me healthy. They were usually pretty bland, sprinkled with a few beans, some store-bought dressing, and accompanied a huge slab of bread.
But it wasn’t until a year after I’d gone Paleo that I really began to understand the art of making a really good salad, and once I did, I really started to love them! These days it’s my go-to lunch and occasional dinner. I eat a big salad almost every day so we always keep everything we need on hand. Even if they weren’t so outrageously good for me, I’d eat them every day anyway! To me, they’re delicious, ever changing, fresh, and beautiful!
How to Construct the Perfect Go-To Salad
Greens: Greens are the foundation for your salad, they are what carry all those toppings and capture all those delicious flavors! For my everyday salad I like something flavorful, but not too strong tasting. Mixed baby greens are my go-to. They come pre-washed so you can use them right out of the box, and there’s no chopping involved. They aren’t as strong as kale, don’t leave that furry feeling on your teeth like spinach, and pack more flavor than romaine.
Veggie toppings: Now, some people will just throw on every single vegetable that they have in their refrigerator. Personally, I’m a bit more picky. I like my salads to be cohesive and pretty. I like everything to “go together”. There are also certain vegetables that I feel just don’t belong on a salad: like celery. Love celery, hate it on salad. I’m funny about tomatoes too; cherry tomatoes are OK, but regular tomatoes get suspiciously watery looking if cut up and then refrigerated. I’m a weirdo, its fine. I like to pick by color – remember your salad can be as beautiful as it is delicious!
Protein: MEAT! Ok, it doesn’t have to be meat…. eggs are good too. I always keep a few cans of tuna in the cupboard for busy week days when left overs are scarce, or sometimes I’ll cook up a bunch of chicken to keep on hand for salad lunches on the go.
Extras: OK, here’s the fun stuff! This is where I like to add something that has a burst of flavor and adds a nice texture. Berries are great for a little bit of sweetness – dark cherries are my favorite! Anchovies, bacon, and olives add a nice salty bite as well as healthy fat. Avocado is pretty much the best thing ever. Roasted vegetables like carrots or peppers are a nice addition, and nuts and seeds add some crunch and texture – I always go for raw pumpkin seeds!
Dressing: If there is one sure-fire way to ruin a perfectly good salad it is with some poor quality, store-bought dressing. Do you have to make your own salad dressing? No, but it is usually best if you do! Bottled dressings are usually made with poor quality, unhealthy, vegetable and soy oils and are also loaded with added sodium and sugar, as well as artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. You just made this beautiful, colorful, healthy salad – don’t smother it in crap! It’s a sin! 99% of the time I use olive oil and balsamic vinegar, it is delicious with every salad combo I’ve made to date, and I just never get sick of it! Just remember that the purpose of salad dressing is to enhance the flavors of everything you’ve made your salad out of, not to over power it. Also remember that fat is a GOOD THING! Like, a really, really good thing! Your body uses fat to help absorb nutrients. Extra virgin olive oil is a great choice and is very economical, if you want to get fancy try some avocado oil or nut oils like walnut, almond, or pumpkin seed. Choose healthy fats that are rich in omega-3’s.
Last night we had salad for dinner, so I got a little fancy with the dressing! Roasted Garlic Salad Dressing was a delicious compliment to broiled steak and a big pile of fresh veggies! Here’s the recipe!
Roasted Garlic Salad Dressing
1 Whole head of garlic, roasted
4 tbls. Olive oil, plus more for roasting
2 tbls. Red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Black pepper
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Splash of fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 375. Spread peeled garlic cloves into pan, coat with olive oil, and roast 15-20 minutes until golden and soft. Once cooled, combine garlic with remaining ingredients in food processor and pulse until smooth. Time for that salad to get dressed! Enjoy!
Sarah Saw the Sun 