Salad Days

As fall comes into its own and the leaves begin to turn, I feel the end of salad days.  As we’re heading for soups and stews, I hang onto my last salad opportunities.  Confession:  I’ve never been a big fan of salad.  I mean, I like the idea of salad very much.  And—truth be told—if someone set a big salad in front of me, I wouldn’t turn it down.  I like it as a post-main course fixture in French dinners.  I like having it as an alternative to the ubiquitous sandwich for lunch.  But, faced with many other options, the salad would be low on my list of things that simply sound appetizing.  But having battled my weight my whole life, I have finally realized that, although I haven’t swallowed the low-carb diet Kool-Aid, I have to admit that carbs do figure significantly into my weight loss troubles.  I may never completely love salads, but I can be more strategic about what I put in them.  If you are in my camp, you may want some guidelines to follow to make salad more appealing.

So, here are my top ten “salad rules” in no particular order:

1.           Use your sandwich filling as a salad.  If it’s a BLT you crave, crumble up bacon, add lots of lettuce, fresh tomatoes, and a dollop of good mayonnaise.  A cheeseburger?  Add a little of last night’s beef patty, tomatoes, crisp dill pickles, and a honey-mustard dressing to your greens.  Today I enjoyed a leftover slab of corned beef over greens with red onion, horseradish cheddar, and a Dijon vinaigrette that was Dijon-strong.

2.          Add herbs.  Cilantro is my #1 favorite, but I also love fresh dill, parsley, oregano, and basil.  Also, other greens such as turnip or baby kale add a lot of flavor.

3.          Salad doesn’t have to have a base of greens (although my local Blue Moon Farms makes a delicious, satisfying salad mix); some of my favorite salads have no leaves.  My favorite Mediterranean-inspired salad is chunks of cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, vinaigrette, and some strong feta.  I also love shredded carrots dressed with a simple vinaigrette.

4.        Have fresh ingredients, even if you have to shop a few times a week.  Wilted greens are just gross, and have very little of their original nutritional value left.

5.          Add fruit, if it’s your thing.  Apples are a nice option, crunchy but not overpowering.

6.         Chop salad for maximum enjoyment of the combined flavors in each bite; also, to be able to eat those monstrous leaves with a tiny bit of dignity.

7.          Try salad for breakfast.  One of my favorites is a couple of fried eggs with a side of arugula drizzled with lime-infused olive oil and a touch of salt.

8.         When dressing your salad, simple is best.  Pre-made ranch, thousand island, Italian, French, and others have a bunch of sugar, salt, and other ingredients that I am convinced are nefariously meant to hook you.  Honestly, I can only tolerate salad when I can actually taste the ingredients.  Sometimes a quality olive oil and some salt are all that’s necessary.  Throw on some lemon juice for a little pizzazz.  My basic go-to vinaigrette is 1 part Dijon mustard (favorite is Maille), 1 or 2 parts white wine vinegar (depending on how much you like vinegar), and 3-4 parts oil (whisk it until the dressing is “fluffy” and has some body, and the oil and vinegar mix), salt and pepper.  That’s it.

9.         Nuts are great.  Any nuts you can spear or scoop with a fork.  OK, toasted pine nuts do not fit into that category, and present a particular challenge for chasing around your plate, but they are TOTALLY worth it.

10.     You don’t need a recipe.  Look into your fridge, find yesterday’s meat or chicken or tofu patty; add your favorite veggies, or what doesn’t look too terrible; find a bit of onion or a jar of pickled peppers, throw on a splash of healthy oil (olive is a standby, but I use sunflower and walnut oils for salads, too), and away you go!