There are some summer evenings when cooking just seems like more of a chore that you can muster and salads sound pretty darn appealing. While we all have our favorite ways to quickly throw together a salad, I often find myself relying on the same simple recipe night after night. A salad rut of sorts. Thankfully, Mark Bittman's around to make sure that doesn't happen this summer.
In his recent article for The New York Times, Bittman discusses four categories of what he calls "Bold Salads": Tender, Crunchy, Sturdy, and Bold. After deciding on these categories, Bittman gives readers a handful of inspired salad recipes to shatter any salad rut (I'm particularly excited to try the Escarole Salad with Hazelnuts and Grapes and the Dandelion Feta Salad).
In addition to new recipes, Bittman helps readers suss out what kind of salad person they really are. It's often the case that I'm not just craving salad, but I'm craving a "sturdy salad," a substantial dinner salad not just a little side dish. So with his pretty cool graphic, it's now easy to determine exactly what kind of salad you're in the mood for and quickly identify a recipe that fits the bill.
So what kind of salad person are you? Do you find that it changes seasonally?
Related: What is the Best Way to Gracefully Eat a Salad?
(Image: Megan Gordon)
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I find this equation works well.
Salad = green + fruit + cheese + nut
My favorites:
- Spinach with pear, gorgonzola, and toasted walnuts
- mesclun with green apple, brie and candied pecans
- Arugula with grapefruit sections, pecorino, and pinenuts
my fav salad: mixed greens + spinach + candied pecans, sprouts, goat cheese, beets + sweet dressing.
I'm all about main dish salads. My favorite is to put a poached egg on top of mixed greens. YUM.
I like chick peas with ranch dressing on romaine.
I am having a love affair lately with alfalfa sprouts and scallions in every salad, and also anise instead of the usual celery. Good with tuna salad, too.
My favorites are salad Lyonnaise and Caesar Salad. If I am wanting it to be a more substantial meal, I grill a small piece of salmon for the Lyonnaise or a chicken breast for the Caesar. We often serve Ina Garten's recipe for Salmon Nicoise Salad for dinner guests during the summer with some nice homemade bread...perfect!
Right now I'm stuck on mixed greens with a cold potato, sunflower or toasted sesame seeds, scallions, radishes or carrots (sliced thin), herbed goats cheese, and just a drizzle of olive oil. Yum!
My go-to is either a spinach-walnut-'in-season-berry' salad with balsamic, or a kale/arugula caesar with yogurt and Billy Goat-baked chicken. OMNOMNOMNOMNOM
Trying to break out of that into using more seasonal veggies but the GF really really likes those two.
Not sure which of the categories I fall into. I do eat a huge salad for lunch everyday though.
I'm a pretty solid fan of spinach, craisins, and cheese (blue, feta, or goat). Nuts, carrots, and other fruits are good additions but those are my go-to basics.
My favorite summertime salad consists of sliced peaches, arugula, and goat cheese crumbles with honey and a little bit of olive oil drizzled on top. So fresh and tasty.
I love sturdy salads! :)
Current favorite- chopped romaine with dried cranberries, sugared pecans, green apple, blue cheese & raspberry vinaigrette. Sliced grilled chicken optional.
I am a dedicatd salad girl, eating one for lunch most days as I find that is the easiest way to get my dose of veggies in for the day while satisfying my hunger without weighing me down for the rest of the afternoon. My equation is simple and for lunch I never overthink it: greens, lots of veggies (raw or leftovers cooked from the previous night's dinner) and a protein of some sort (beans, edamame, chicken, salmon, etc.). For dinner I may think it through a little more in the sense that I try to match up the flavors and textures into something more cohesive but one thing is for certain, they are never fussy!
Never have, and never will, use a recipe for a salad.
My usual is grain + veg + cheese + nut on a bed of baby spinach leaves. Much like the quinoa, pepper, feta and walnut salad I just made for lunch tomorrow.
Just found a new web site
http://motherwouldknow.com/ that has some great salad recipes and breaks down the cost for all recipes.
My favorite is mixed greens, roasted corn, avocado, tomato, queso fresco, and a creamy chipotle lime dressing. We top it with tortilla chips and salsa. So good. I also like spinach with quinoa and roasted veggies (asparagus, mushrooms, and red pepper) topped with a vinaigrette and feta.
I have a base of usually iceberg and spinach then add in some cucumber, tomato, green pepper. Occasionally radishes and usually carrots. Some grilled chicken, cheese and fat free french top it off. Mmmm. Oh, and croutons.
my favorite salad comes from my garden -- at least the main part: wild arugula, french feta, radishes, walnut oil lemon vinaigrette. I could eat this every day...
Thanks, all! Reading through the comments here has given me such good ideas!
I typically throw whatever I have on hand into my salads. I try to start with spinach, arugula, romaine or a sturdy green for the nutrition. My favorite add ins are: roasted red peppers, corn, marinated artichoke hearts, chickpeas, nuts (sunflower seeds, almonds, pistachios), cheese (mozzarella, goat cheese), olives, sprouts, cucumber, tomato (fresh or sun dried), herbs, avocado... The more ingredients the better! I usually just make a simple vinaigrette and maybe add lemon or mustard.
Yes, my salads change with the season. When heirloom tomatoes are at peak I eat a huge spinach salad with heirlooms, salt, pepper and olive oil. Maybe some basil, too. They are so juicy andn flavorful you don't need much dressing/oil.
In the winter, I ate TONS of salad with walnuts, dates, goat cheese and homemade balsamic. SUPER delicious. Sometimes with diced granny smith apples thrown in.
Right now, I'm eating spinach salads with diced avocado, tomato, raw sweet corn and a drizzle of lemon olive oil and lemon juice. Salt and peppered, of course!
Salads are so much better when you are using PEAK produce. At the end of the day, take whatever you love and throw it on some greens. Salads aren't as boring as people think! They can be a delicious way to get a healthy meal.