How to Make the Best Salads

I see a ton of folks out there who just don't like salads. I'm trying to challenge that a little bit - there is more to a salad than just lettuce and dressing! The best salads have different layers of flavor, texture, and toppings. So how do you make the best salads?

I like to use the following as a guide for my salads, and I'd say they normally turn out pretty good! Give this a shot:

Let's break this down:

1. Leafy green base

   • Lettuce mixes, spinach, spring greens, anything leafy, green, and mild will do. Fresh is of course best. Nobody likes a mushy salad! To keep greens fresh in the fridge, try adding a paper towel to the lettuce bag or container. I find mine last much longer. Be sure to check and replace the paper towel when it gets moist.

2. Protein source

   • Even a side salad benefits greatly from a protein source. The best big salads have proteins like salmon, canned tuna, perhaps meats (Although I haven't had meat in 11 years, so that's conjecture at this point). But don't forget proteins like black beans, garbanzo beans (aka Chickpeas), kidney beans, or even fried tofu. Switch it up a bit! You never know what might taste good to you all together in a salad.

3. Crispy veggie

   • Thinly sliced carrot, Red onion (Red is the best type of onion for raw eating due to the flavor), pickled anything like olives, banana peppers, or beats.

4. Granular toppings (Cheeses)

   • This is where another protein source can go - cheeses like Parmesan, (I prefer a mild melt-in-your mouth goat cheese) or finely chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts, or cashews.

5. Quality dressing

   • Once I started buying quality olive oil, I much prefer a drizzle of that over the pre-packaged dressings from the store. The store-bought dressings almost always are loaded with preservatives, extra funny sounding ingredients, and hidden sugars (!!) to which I could not find an alternative. Even the "Diet" dressings contained artificial sweeteners! So instead, I just drizzle some olive oil and balsamic vinegar on, tastes just as good (if not better) without all the extra weird things. It's healthier, and it ends up being cheaper, too. You can pre-mix your own dressing and fill up a bottle, store it yourself. 

6. Seasoning

   • Salt. Pepper. Lemon juice. Those are my three go-to's; but you can also try spices like paprika, garlic salt, parsley - the world is your oyster.

General Salad Tips and Tricks

Always be Seasoning

Don't forget to season your salads! A little salt and pepper goes a long way.

Use fresh, local, organic

With salads being essentially raw veggies, using fresh, local, and organic ingredients can really make your salads taste better!

The most important to taste of the two being fresh and local - the less mileage your veggies have, the better they taste.

Buying organic can also help prevent ingesting some of the sketchy pesticides used in mass-veggie growing.

Experiment with your Salads

If you don't already have salads in your regular diet, experimenting can take you to a whole new world you didn't think possible.

I know it can be a little bit of a let-down at first, especially if you've disliked salads in the past, or don't have much experience making your own (Why do take-out salads always taste better??

The answer : More fats/sugars/calories, probably). Once you figure out what YOU like the best, you absolutely can start making salads that taste amazing!

Practice, Practice, Practice

Seriously! The best way to get good at making salads is to make salads. We've all started out making crappy salads.

Salad Examples

Crisp Apple Salad

• Arugula (leafy green base)
• Crisp granny smith apple or pink lady (crunchy)
• roasted almonds or pecans (Protein)
• Thick Grated Parmesan (protein/cheese)
  • Balsamic or raspberry dressing goes great with this
  • Also works as a topping for sandwiches.
  • Can also add: Sliced red onion

Kenzie's Go-to Greek Salad

• Any kind of leafy blend - 50/50 baby greens
• Thin sliced red onion
• halved cherry tomatoes
• Banana peppers
• Kalamata olives
• Feta cheese
  • If you are feeling fancy, Can also add: Chopped cucumber, mixed nuts or pecans, pumpkin seeds, chopped bell pepper

Easy Dressings

Greek Balsamic dressing

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

• 3/4 cup apple cider
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup olive oil

French Style Dressing

• Olive Oil
• Dijon mustard
• Lemon Juice
• Maple Syrup
• Parmesan 
• salt & pepper