In an effort to eat something remotely healthy that isn't steamed broccoli, I'd like to start making myself salads.
The thing is, pretty much all salad recipes I can find (except bizarre exotic things I'm not interested in) suck when you leave out tomato., and raw tomato tends to leave me doubled over in pain.
So, anyone here have any ideas?
Caesar Salad, though bacon and Caesar dressing isn't exactly healthy.
ETA:
http://www.principiadiscordia.com/forum/index.php?topic=18015.msg652535#msg652535
Stuff that's good in salad:
Lettuce - filler
spinach - full of iron, fiber and other good shit. Use this a LOT.
Onion - if it's strong, cut it in half and let it sit in teh fridge to mellow for a day first.
cucumber
shedded carrot
green pepper.
canned tuna
cooked chicken (great way to get rid of leftovers)
broccoli
hard boiled egg \
cheese (shredded or cubed) >These three are less healthy bits. Protein / calcium / fat if you need more of a MEAL though
Croutons /
Bacon
Mix ideas
-citrus fruit + walnuts + sweet vinegar dressing on spinach
-tuna + a little mayo, over a bed of spinach + lettuce, lots of veggies, croutons, everything really. You can make a serious meal of this.
I have a few salads lurking in the cooking with LMNO thread. Only one has tomato, I think.
Here's one that makes a great meal all by itself.
Ingredients
Asparagus
fresh baby spinach
fresh or frozen peas
sliced almonds
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
cheese tortellini or mini cheese ravioli
fresh lemon juice
virgin olive oil
Preparation
Cook the pasta according to directions - I like it al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water until it cools.
Par boil the asparagus in barely simmering water for three minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Toss pea, almonds, spinach leave, pasta, and asparagus together in a large bowl.
Add olive oil and lemon juice to taste.
Grate cheese and add to the mix.
Salt and pepper if you like.
It's yummy.
One word: Panzanella.
Quote from: Richter on March 11, 2010, 01:07:31 PM
Onion - if it's strong, cut it in half and let it sit in teh fridge to mellow for a day first.
Pretty sure this does the opposite?
Ingredients:
2 quarts mixed salad greens
1/4 cup fresh lime or lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh blueberries, divided
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
a few grinds of pepper
Prep Notes:
Dress salad just before serving: spoon dressing over and scatter reserved blueberries on top
Instructions:
Mix together lime or lemon juice, honey and salt. Mash 1/2 cup blueberries into the juice and honey mixture. Stir in yogurt, pepper and oil. Taste for seasoning.
Oh and if you want a mild onion-Strawberry Onions are the way to go!!!
I usually just eat Romaine chopped/shredded real thin with finely chopped scallions-olive oil and vinegar for dressing-simple and yummy. Also the mixture of the scallions and romaine give it a cilantro kind of taste-so if you do not like cilantro do not use the scallions. (to make it hearty add what ever meat you have leftover-or beans)
Quote from: EoC on March 12, 2010, 07:03:28 AM
One word: Panzanella.
OMG.......that looks so good! Thank you. I'm always looking for salads that don't include lettuce because lettuce makes me very very sick.
Quote from: BADGE OF HONOR on March 12, 2010, 06:10:57 PM
Quote from: Richter on March 11, 2010, 01:07:31 PM
Onion - if it's strong, cut it in half and let it sit in teh fridge to mellow for a day first.
Pretty sure this does the opposite?
Chop it into tiny bits and soak it in lemon juice, is what I do to reduce the strongness.
Quote from: Bella on March 12, 2010, 07:46:37 PM
Quote from: EoC on March 12, 2010, 07:03:28 AM
One word: Panzanella.
OMG.......that looks so good! Thank you. I'm always looking for salads that don't include lettuce because lettuce makes me very very sick.
For those who won't google, I'll elaborate. Pananella is made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil, and stale bread (peasant bread works well for this, or Italian semolina). It varies hugely from there, but I like it with cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, parmesan, and black pepper. Quality ingredients make a big difference.
I'll pretty much eat just that for a meal in late summer with tomatoes are garden ripe. I'll also heat my apartment to 113 degrees to make the peasant bread to make it with. Pan-za-fucking-nella.
Also, Requia, a fantastic salad can be made easily by just cooking and chopping up some beets, then tossing it with goat cheese and shredded cabbage. I think vinegar can be used here, but I forget, and even if it can it's plenty flavorful without.
I'm so stoked, saw the images on google and decided to make this for lunch today - and we already had everything on hand.
But I'm not sure about the bread. We have thick sliced potato bread that's gone a bit stale. Do you think it will work all right? If not, I can run to the bakery.
Quote from: Bella on March 12, 2010, 08:45:06 PM
I'm so stoked, we have everything we need to make this on hand.
But I'm not sure about the bread. We have thick sliced potato bread that's gone a bit stale. Do you think it will work all right? If not, I can run to the bakery.
Thick sliced is good, but I'm not that familiar with potato bread. Is it prone to disintegrating when it absorbs liquid? If so you could try either drying it out further in a low oven for a while or, yeah, go with the bakery option.
Bakery it is, then. Potato bread's a little crumbly.
Yeah, when I've made it the bread has been thick, so it absorbs but keeps its shape. The oil/vinegar to bread ratio should leave the salad pretty dry (very little or no excess at the bottom) for having trapped it all in the chunks.
It tastes great leftover too, once all the flavors have melded.
First rule: Don't use it unless it's fresh.
Second rule: Don't use it unless it's fresh.
A good salad dressing: Just mix lemon juice, a bit of salt, olive oil and pepper. Or paprika, if you have it.
A great way to ruin a salad is to pour the dressing over the top. Another good way is to not wash the leaves.
Instead, wash the leaves and put the salad into a container with the dressing, and shake it around. Or hand toss. Anything else is lame, in my year or so of experience doing salads for a living.
Salads are 60% presentation IMO. If a salad looks shitty, I usually don't enjoy it. Put some effort into making your salads pretty. It helps.
It's also good practice to wash your leaves delicately, so as not to bruise them. And get a good salad spinner, and dry the greens thoroughly in small batches. Even a bit of moisture can make the dressing weak.
As long as we're talking about "what makes a salad good/work," I've noticed balance is also key. (Did I already say that ITT? Having a sense of deja vu here...) I've had many salads that were waaaay too overpowering with one element or another and it just did NOT taste good.
Also, just say no to BLAND. Salads should not be BLAND. EVAR.
Lately I've been eating salads with just romaine, avocado, salt, and pepper. I'm not really a big fan of dressing, it makes everything too goopy.
Shrimp Salad
I N G R E D I E N T S
• 1 lemon • 1 lime • 6 garlic cloves • extra virgin olive oil • 1/2 lb of shrimp • your favorite lettuce or salad mix
I N S T R U C T I O N S
Mince 3 cloves and press 3 cloves of garlic. Squeeze the lemon and lime juice into a medium sized container, put the garlic in and let it stand for 20 minutes.
Add 3 parts olive oil to 1 part of the combined juice mixture. Shake it very vigorously. Dress salad and add shrimp. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or just dig in.
Another idea:
Quit hating on broccoli, motherfucker.
Brocolli is terrible as a salad garnish. Raw, it's too hard and crunchy, cooked it's too soft.
So you steam it instead, or boil it shortly. Though I would not always want the flavour in a salad.
My problem with broccoli as anything other than plain on the side is it absorbs way too much liquid, causing a very unpleasant mouth explosion when you bite one. Thanks, I really wanted to eat three tablespoons of dressing right then.
(In case you couldn't tell I have issues with things being too goopy. Though I love a good curry. I think it has to do with variations of texture or something, because I can't stand having peanuts on my stir-fry either.)
My favorite salad is a classic, but its hardly healthy.
Salad Lyonnaise
A handful of fresh frisee lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
2 strips bacon
1 teaspoon chopped shallots
1 Poached egg
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Thats the recipe I found online.
When I make it, I usually recycle a small portion of the bacon grease into the dressing instead of using olive oil.
Cut the bacon into fine bits. Mix the bacon grease/vinegar/dijon together.
Top with the egg.
Enjoy.
Just made an interesting salad.
Core and thinly slice 1 granny smith apple.
Thinly slice 1/2 a bulb of fennel. Reserve fronds.
In a bowl, combine:
2 Tb Crème fraiche
2 Tb whole-grain mustard
1 Tb lemon juice
Chopped tarragon
Salt & pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp olive oil
Toss the apple and fennel with the dressing. Garnish with fronds.
Quote from: LMNO on March 22, 2010, 04:33:48 PM
Just made an interesting salad.
Core and thinly slice 1 granny smith apple.
Thinly slice 1/2 a bulb of fennel. Reserve fronds.
In a bowl, combine:
2 Tb Crème fraiche
2 Tb whole-grain mustard
1 Tb lemon juice
Chopped tarragon
Salt & pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp olive oil
Toss the apple and fennel with the dressing. Garnish with fronds.
eeeeeeew this sounds goooooooooood
Quote from: LMNO on March 22, 2010, 04:33:48 PM
Just made an interesting salad.
Core and thinly slice 1 granny smith apple.
Thinly slice 1/2 a bulb of fennel. Reserve fronds.
In a bowl, combine:
2 Tb Crème fraiche
2 Tb whole-grain mustard
1 Tb lemon juice
Chopped tarragon
Salt & pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp olive oil
Toss the apple and fennel with the dressing. Garnish with fronds.
THIS would've been helpful when my husband insisted on buying a huge bulb of fennel and making it with SOMETHING on Sunday, preferably fish, I told him SALAD. Oh well, the fish we made was pretty good (had red onion, fennel, vinegar reduction...can't remember the last ingredient.).
I just made a cilantro-avocado-mango salad (with lime and salt to taste) the other day (to go with the fish, actually). Twas tasty.
Which reminds me, I have to roast the other half of the head for salads.