I've really been in the mood for a salad lately, but don't want my traditional boring salad I usually make. My dressing choices are usually ranch or Italian and I'm bored with those...I'm looking for some new ideas for both dressing and toppings!
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When I make homemade dressing it is one of these two:
"caesar":
-2 cloves of grated garlic
-black pepper
-1-2 tbsp. grated parmesan
-a few tbsp. lemon juice
-1-2 tbsp. olive oil
-1/4 cup light mayonnaise
-Whisk together and mix with salad.
^^approximate measurementsOil/vinegar:
-1/4 oil to 3/4 apple cider vinegar
-1 tsp. mixed dried italian herbs
-pinch of salt and pepper
-1 tsp. yellow mustard or dijon
-1-2 cloves grated garlic
-1 tbsp. honey or maple syrup
-Shake up and keep in fridge.
^^approximate measurementsI like throwing craisins in a salad when I have them. Grated carrots and grated beets are tasty additions too.
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There are a bunch of great dressings here:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/brittanybennett/you-never-have-to-buy-salad-dressing-again#.btLnDErwk -
For a quick and easy store bought dressing, I really like Kraft's Greek Vinaigrette, but my two favorite salads are mixed greens with:
grilled chicken
strawberries
blue cheese
pecans
w/raspberry vinaigrettegrilled chicken
cranberries
blue cheese
bacon
w/raspberry vinaigrette -
@Mrs. Goose: @Bee_McGee: @BadgerMom: mmm thanks guys!!
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For dressings, less is more IMO. Get your flavor through the salad and what you put into it. We only dress salads with olive oil and a splash of either lemon juice, balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar.
Some ideas:
Base:
Spinach
Arugula
Kale (baby kale)
Baby bok choy
Baby mustard greens
Radicchio
Pea shoots
FriseeCheese:
Goat
Parmesan
Feta
BlueToppings:
Avocado
Nuts and seeds
Fresh or dried fruits
Tuna
Chicken
Garbanzo beans
Black beans
Onions (red is what I normally use)
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Shredded broccoli mix (bagged)
Soft or hard boiled eggs
Sweet or spicy peppers -
I LOVE this one and I'm not a big salad person. It's got homemade balsamic, dried cherries, pecans and blue cheese:
http://www.sweetlittlebluebird.com/2013/03/my-most-requested-salad-recipe.html -
I almost always make my own vinegrette - 1 part oil, 1 part vinegar (white balsamic is awesome), some salt, pepper, garlic powder, maybe some honey or random herbs I think sound good.
For salad I try to include something crunchy, sweet, salty, and creamy. Typically for winter it's something like pears, craisens, Gorgonzola, and pecans on top of a bed of whatever greens I grab.
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We really like Kraft's Asian sesame dressing. We do romaine, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, peas, sliced almonds and grilled chicken with that dressing on top.
I also love cucumber, tomato, and feta with balsamic vinaigrette. Sometimes I add lettuce and other times I mix it with whole wheat couscous or pasta.
A pizza place near my ILs does a giant salad with grilled chicken, grilled green peppers, and grilled onions on top. We get ours with cheese and oil and vinegar. We sometimes recreate that at home.
We also like taco salads and the Pioneer Woman's cheeseburger salad (minus the croutons so it's somewhat healthy!).
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I prefer all my salads with baby spinach as a base. Some of the toppings I like are:
Strawberries, sliced almonds, balsamic vinegar (the good stuff, very sweet)
Avocado, hard boiled eggs, some crunchy nut or seed, some sort of vinaigrette
Goat cheese, dried cranberries, pears or apples, balsamic vinegar or vinaigrette
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Lately we have been switching it up with French. I have made it at home but Brianna's French tastes the same as mine. We have been loving it with a mix of baby greens and romaine, plus candied nuts, blue cheese, apples or grapes, French fried onions, carrots, tomatoes, cukes, boiled egg, and warm steak.
French with Cobb salads is also a fave.
Add a blob of mayo and you got a good Thousand Island wh in my preggo self has been enjoying too! That's with a BLT type salad of tomatoes and lettuce and bacon with a hunk of hot sourdough bread!
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I really think homemade salad dressings make a salad so much yummier!
My favorite balsamic vinegarette: http://chinesegrandma.com/2010/11/balsamic-vinaigrette/
My favorite white balsamic vinegarette: http://www.eatliverun.com/grilled-peach-chicken-goat-cheese-salad-with-honey-white-balsamic-dressing/ -
A really simple salad that I think it amazing is - kale, cranberries, sliced toasted almonds, salt & pepper and olive oil.
I also get creative with quinoa and kale; a favorite is adding avocado, red onion, grilled mushroom and lemon juice/olive oil/salt & pepper.
I try to avoid cheese and creamy dressing because I'd totally load it up and add more calories than I need.
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I love adding in some chicken, grapes, dried cranberries, avocado and walnuts for some crunch. Usually add a little raspberry vineagrette or balsamic.
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I throw together a big batch of balsamic vinaigrette in the blender then keep the jar in the fridge:
Half olive oil, half balsamic vinegar (1 cup all together)
1 or 2 cloves garlic
1 TB Dijon mustard
1 TB jam or maple syrup
Some rosemary
S & PBlend together! It's so good.
I also love chickpeas, artichoke hearts, preserved lemons, sourdough croutons, roasted nuts, scallions, fresh or dried fruit, roasted veggies, avocados, or seeds when I want to top my salad with something a little more interesting.
Also a never fail: Greek salad
Romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, peppers, kalamata olives, avocados, crumbled feta, oregano, and a red wine or lemon vinaigrette, served with some warm fresh or roasted pita on the side. LO gobbles this up.
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I make the a warm spinach salad. It's a knock off from Buca DI Beppo.
Spinach
Goat cheese
Tomato sliced in wedges
Red onions
Sweet & Spicy pepitas (I whisk hot sauce and brown sugar to coat the pepitas. I think the restaurant uses candied walnuts).
Balsamic vinaigrette dressingIn a sauce pan warm the dressing, add the onions, then tomatoes until warm. Don't leave the tomatoes in too long or they will get mushy.
Place the warm ingredients over a bed of spinach then and top with cheese and pepitas.
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@rachiecakes: at a restaurant this week I had kale and quinoa salad with grapes and a champagne dressing. SO GOOD.
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My favorite salad is a ranch house steak salad: lettuce of any kind, sliced steak, grape tomatoes, corn, beans, cucumbers, shredded cheddar and salsa ranch dressing. We eat it once a month, so I don't feel guilty about the creamy dressing.
I also love blue cheese, so if I happen to be at a steakhouse, I get the classic iceberg wedge with blue cheese crumble and dressing. So bad, but sooooo good. I think the main thing with that is actually the lettuce wedge, something about digging into my salad with a knife and fork makes it feel heartier than it really is!
I also really like Costco's bagged kale salad. It has kale, brussels sprouts and broccoli, with dried cranberries and some kind of seeds. The lemon poppyseed dressing is good too!
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We made a honey mustard vinaigrette that was really yummy!
Lately we have been doing romaine, spring mix, carrot shavings, cheese, pecans, craisins, hard boiled eggs with chicken.
I also like chick peas and avocado in my salads! When I have leftover roasted broccoli or cauliflower I throw those in as well.
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My sister's BIL opened a few custom salad shops in our city, and their menu always gives me awesome ideas for meal salads! DH is working there about 25 hours a week while he's in school, so we are eating a TON of salads! It's http://www.avocobar.com if youre looking for ideas!
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This is my go-to salad dressing, and usually some form of the salad, too! Spinach, fruit, crumbly cheese, and nuts.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/149816/emilys-strawberry-balsamic-salad/
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@rachiecakes: do you use cooled down cooked quinoa? That would be a really good, healthy carby filler for salads!
@catlady: @gingerbebe: how do you keep the apple from browning in your salad? We have been making salads for lunch and that would not last! I guess I can toss it with some lemon juice or cut it before I eat the salad at work.
@Mrs. Goose: @Bee_McGee: thanks for sharing! We are trying to get away from store bought dressing so this will be a great starting point!
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Feta, olives, tomato, red onion, cucumber toss in EVOO and add salt and pepper.
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