- Hide menu

How to Build Your Best Salad

LoadingFavoriteAdd to favorites

When most people think of sitting down to eat a salad, they’re usually not thrilled. If this how you feel when you think about salads, you’re not alone. But I am here to share with you that salads can be exciting, beautiful, filling, satisfying, nutritious, as well as a culinary pleasure! A well-constructed salad is one of life’s great pleasures.

avocado-salad on a slate background

Implement the following guidelines when creating a salad and you will be well on your way to a delicious meal that will leave you craving for more. Growing up, I thought a salad was made up of iceberg lettuce and a glob of dressing. Lettuce was just a vehicle in which dressing would find its way into my body.

Nowadays, thankfully, I find salads exciting and delicious. I load them up with a wide array of veggies giving me a vast assortment of color, flavor, texture, and nutrients. They can be a side dish or act as my main meal. I hope that by the time you are done reading through this post that you will not only be inspired but hungry!

Build According to the Season

One way to ensure the excitement of a salad is to create one according to the season. You will be getting the best tasting, healthiest food available. A pleasant side effect of eating what’s in season is that you get a broader variety of foods in your diet and that will keep boredom from settling in.

Don’t Fear Fats

Healthy fats are essential to give your body energy and to support cell growth. They help protect your organs and keep your body warm. They also help your body absorb some nutrients and produce important hormones. Eat the healthy ones, eat them in moderation, and do NOT let fear creep in while you are enjoying them.

mix-salad-with-roasted-veggies

Include Cooked Veggies and Grains

Warming foods have the effect of raising the energy of organs. They can help in improving circulation and dispelling cold. If you suffer from cold hands, feet, overall body, diarrhea, stomach pains or discomfort after eating or drinking cold things, bloating after eating, lack of energy, or sore joints this may be your body telling you to add in some warming foods (spices included).

Add Texture

Everything you eat affects your body, even texture. It’s rare that a person likes to eat a complete meal that is of one texture. After a few bites, foods can quickly go from exciting to boring. It’s no different than creating a mixture of flavor; we love to enjoy an assortment of textures. By loading up a dish with an array of textures, you are also ensuring that you are upping the variance of nutrition.

herbs-and-spices-for-salad

Add Fresh Herbs

Adding fresh herbs to your salad will help maximize flavor and freshness.

avocado-dressing-for-saladDress it Up

Most Importantly

It is also important to remember that our bodies are designed to enjoy the food we eat. Our tongues are designed to recognize and savor the different tastes. Even our sense of smell alone stimulates the production of salvia. As we enhance our awareness and enjoyment of food, we assist our body with healthy digestion.

mixed-leafy-greens

Pick your Greens

Salad greens are year-round sources of vitamin A, vitamin C, and other nutrients. Red and dark green leafy vegetables are generally higher in nutrients than light-colored greens. Take a minute to massage raw kale or mustard greens with oil and a pinch of salt before adding the other ingredients; it’s worth it!

Arugula [uh-REW-guh-la]

Belgian endive = French endive = witloof  = witloof chicory = chicory (in Britain) = Belgium chicory = blanching chicory = Dutch chicory = green-leaved blanching chicory

Bibb lettuce = limestone lettuce  

Bok Choy

Boston lettuce

Chard

Dandelions = dandelion greens    

Endive

Escarole = Batavian endive = Batavia = scarole 

Frisée

Green-leaf lettuce

Iceberg lettuce = head lettuce = cabbage lettuce = crisphead lettuce  

Lollo rosso

Mizuna = Japanese greens = spider mustard

Red-leaf lettuce 

Romaine lettuce

Spinach

Spring salad mix = mesclun = field greens 

Watercress

 

2 thoughts on “How to Build Your Best Salad

  1. Sarah says:

    What about mustard greens?

    • amie-sue says:

      And mustard greens! I am sure that there are a tons others that I didn’t capture but thanks for bringing them to the table. :)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *