Make Salads More Flavorful

Including a salad with dinner is a great way to add nutrients to your meal and up your daily intake of vegetables. Sometimes, however, eating the same salad over and over again can get boring. Stop making salad an afterthought and start amping up your salads with great flavors! By understanding the basics of creating a great salad and getting creative with ingredients, you can build healthy, delicious salads every time.

Steps

Getting Adventurous with Vegetables

  1. Pre-cook your veggies. Grill your vegetables before adding them to your salad. Pickle them, roast them, or marinate them. Most salads contain raw veggies, but you can really improve the taste of your salad by including some cooked vegetables, as well.
    • Add a scoop of olive tapenade or kimchi for a tangy treat.
  2. Go outside your vegetable comfort zone. Add flavor to your salad with vegetables (and fruits!) you wouldn’t normally think to add.[1] Try tossing in some fried okra, avocado, beets, asparagus, roasted sweet potatoes, artichoke, pears, pomegranate arils, cabbage or kohlrabi, garlic scapes, mizuna (Japanese mustard), edamame, yucca, zucchini blossoms, nasturtium flowers, or rhubarb.[2]
  3. Choose a variety of greens. Iceberg and bibb lettuce can be bland and don’t contain many nutrients. Instead of basing your salad on the regular lettuce, choose from a wide variety of greens. Pick one or mix and match several to get a wide range of flavors. Great salad green options include:[3]
    • Kale
    • Arugula
    • Spinach
    • Carrot tops
    • Escarole
    • Collard greens
    • Dandelion greens
    • Mustard greens
    • Rainbow chard
    • Borage
    • Purslane
    • Curly endive (frisée)[4]
    • Nasturtium flower and leaves – both are edible!
  4. Season your salad with herbs. Basil, fennel, rosemary, thyme, mint, dill, and lemongrass are all delightful herbs to add to a salad. Roughly chop these and sprinkle them on top of a salad, or toss them in with your greens.[5]
    • Sprinkle your salad with salt and pepper to boost flavor easily. Or add chili powder or pepper flakes for some spice!
    • Sauté garlic to add to a winter salad.

Adding Texture

  1. Toss in some nuts. Pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, candied nuts, cashews, pistachios – the list of tasty nuts you can add to salad goes on and on. Any nuts you like to snack on can be a delicious addition to salad. They’ll add great flavor and nice crunch. They also contain good fats that your body needs.[5]
  2. Add a handful of seeds. Add seeds to your salad to get a smooth, meaty flavor while keeping your meal vegetarian. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds are great options. Chia and flax seeds have a delicious, earthy taste. For added flavor, bake your seeds with some salt and pepper for 5-20 minutes first.[5]
  3. Include crunchy veggies. Give some crunch to your salad with crisp veggies like radishes, celery, or raw peppers. Beans and snow peas are also great options. Anything that "snaps" when you break it will add pleasant texture to your salad.
  4. Utilize other crispy options. Croutons are another great way to add flavor and crunch. Crispy noodles and water chestnut also add a smooth, savory, crisp flavor to salads. For extra flavor, Make Croutons and add whatever cheese and herbs you like to the recipe.
  5. Add dried fruit for a chewy treat. Dried cranberries, raisins, prunes, and apricots can add some chewy texture and delicious sweetness to your salad. They’re also a good way to get some extra nutrients. Dates are sweet and mild and make a great addition to a bitter green like arugula.
  6. Toss in some berries or fruit slices. Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and cut up strawberries make a sweet addition to almost any salad, and provide a nice soft texture. Throw in a handful of fresh – not frozen – berries for a juicy treat. The sweetness is especially nice when mixed with bitter greens like kale or arugula.[1]
    • Peaches, pears, and avocados also add great softness to a salad. Add raw fruit in slices or diced, or grill half peaches or pears and top your salad with the warm halves. Or try filling a peach, pear, or avocado half with goat cheese, drizzling it with balsamic vinegar, and using it as an accent on top of your salad.
  7. Use tropical fruit for tangy soft texture. Kiwi, starfruit, slices of tangerine, banana, mango, and other tropical fruits are excellent additions to a summer salad. They’re rich in vitamins and can add a sweet, tangy flavor to your meal while softening up your salad.

Making Your Salad a Tasty Meal by Adding Protein

  1. Put in some cheese. Adding cheese to your salad is one of the tastiest and easiest ways to boost flavor and add protein. Choose a dry, crumbly cheese like bleu cheese or feta, shaved or grated hard cheese like parmesan or gouda, or small spoonfuls of soft goat cheese.
  2. Add beans for flavor and protein. Add a handful of pinto beans, black beans, chickpeas, lima beans, or any other bean of your choice. These are tasty vegetarian options that also add fiber and protein to your salad.[1]
  3. Dress your salad with grains. Tofu, quinoa, tempeh, couscous, faro, and lentils are chewy, savory, and a great source of delicious vegetarian protein. Mix some into your salad, or add a large scoop to the top of your salad.[5]
  4. Make a meal with meat. You can add any sort of meat to a salad and turn it into a full-fledged, delicious meal. Grill or sauté some chicken, steak, shrimp, or fish. Cut it into slices or cubes and add it to your salad. You can also experiment with options like lamb, sardines, and cured meats.
    • For instance, sopressata is a cured Italian meat that is delicious in a salad of arugula and shaved parmesan cheese.

Dressing Up Your Salad

  1. Use small amounts of creamy dressing. Using a creamy, store-bought salad dressing is an easy way to add flavor to your salad. These often contain lots of fat, however. Rather than drenching your salad with ranch, blue cheese, thousand island, or creamy Caesar dressing, try putting your dressing on the side. Dip individual bites in a few tablespoons of salad dressing so you don’t lose the flavors of the ingredients.
    • Aim to make your salad flavorful and delicious even without dressing!
  2. Make a salty base for your dressing. Soy sauce or coconut aminos can make a delicious, salty base for a salad dressing. Mix 2 teaspoons of these with a quarter cup of olive oil, sesame seeds, and diced ginger for a tangy, salty, and sweet salad dressing.
  3. Use basic oil, vinegar, or wine. You can add some flavor to your salad with a simple dressing without masking the flavors of your ingredients. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or even plain red or white wine over your salad.
    • Drizzle a fine layer over your salad, don't drench it.
  4. Add some extra fat. Olive oil, coconut oil, and even bacon fat can be drizzled on salad for added flavor. Olive and coconut oil contain good fats, whereas bacon fat – though delicious – is a less healthy option. Know, however, that drizzling warm fat over greens may cause them to wilt. A little goes a long way - toss your salad in 1-2 teaspoons.
  5. Dress your salad with hummus or salsa. Rather than using a traditional salad dressing, add taste to your salad with a scoop of hummus or salsa. Place an ice cream scoop-sized amount in the center of your salad to snack on with your fresh vegetables.[6]
  6. Try pureed fruit. Top a spring or summer salad with a dressing made from pureed fruit. You can also mix fruit with wine, oil, or fruit juice to use as a sweet or tangy dressing.[6]
  7. Accent your salad with fruit juice or zest. You don’t have to add whole fruit to your salad to get added flavor. Mix fruit juice into a salad dressing or just squeeze the juice of a lime or orange over your salad. You can also zest the rind of a lime, lemon, orange, or grapefruit to add some flavor and color.[1]

Tips

  • Use fresh, local ingredients. Eat with the seasons rather than using canned or imported vegetables, which can be lacking in flavor and nutrients.[5] This also gives you the opportunity to embrace the changing seasons for a variety of flavors throughout the year.
  • Salads can be broken down into 5 categories of ingredients. Choose at least one item from each category to create a salad with more flavor and texture.[5] Aim to choose options that create a mix of colors, textures, and tastes – from salty to savory to sweet. The 5 categories are:
    • Vegetables
    • Dressing
    • Crunchies
    • Protein (optional)
    • Extras! (optional)
  • Experiment! There’s no wrong way to make a salad. Try to be creative and play with different ideas to get delicious, flavorful salads.

Warnings

  • Adding cheese, meat, or oil to your salad significantly increases its fat content. If you’re trying to eat a low-fat diet, stay away from these options.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://www.escoffier.edu/culinary-arts/how-to-dress-up-a-salad/
  2. ↑ http://www.hellawella.com/10-unusual-vegetables-we-bet-you-havent-tried/10081
  3. ↑ http://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/make-the-most-of-field-greens/
  4. ↑ https://gardentherapy.ca/unusual-salad-greens/
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 https://www.escoffier.edu/culinary-arts/lettuce-make-better-salads/
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.theleangreenbean.com/spice-it-up-salad-topping-idea/

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