We got an Aerogarden for Christmas which came with salad greens (6 different types of lettuce) which is just fantastic. And boy does it grow fast! We like to mix them with romaine which gives some crunch. After that it’s cheese, egg, bacon, tomato, onion, croutons, baby carrots on the side and whatever else looks good. New fav dressing is Chipotle Ranch. New fav bread is a Jalapeno corn bread made in the instantpot.
2 Likes
I also eat a big salad almost every day for lunch. Greens ( usually spinach or kale), chicken, salmon or hard boiled egg, whatever veggies plus nuts. I love dressing as well- try to make my own mostly using different flavored olive oils and vinegars .
If I’m making salad for dinner I’ll sometimes make warm panko crusted goat cheese slices to throw on top.
3 Likes
My favorites: spinach/arugula with feta cheese, watermelon, red onion, walnuts and honey balsam vinegrette.
But I like lots of different ones like a basic romaine, hard boiled egg, tomato, onion and bacon w/ ranch.
Caesar with grilled chicken.
Romaine/iceberg, ham, hard boiled egg, bacon bits, pickled beets, chick peas, onion, carrots, green pepper, tomato, cottage cheese and thousand island dressing. This one is an extremely rare occurrence, LOL. Picture Ruby Tuesday or similar salad bar.
Baby spinach, hard boiled egg, bacon, onion, mushrooms and oil and vinegar.
And I love a hunk of great bread with any of them except the Caesar which has croutons.
It has been years since I’ve made goat cheese like this for a salad. I had forgotten how much I love the warm, salty, crispy and creamy bites.
So glad that I read your post today and you reminded me! Do you have a favorite way of making the goat cheese?
How about the greens? - if you usually use them. (I sometimes just like my “salad” to be the chopped stuff minus the greens - especially in the summer.
I haven’t bought iceberg lettuce in years. I made wedge salad in the fall but used romaine. I generally use romaine or kale. What is your greens of choice?
I like arugula but its a no go for H. Of course he doesn’t do kale either.
some of my favorite salad toppings: smoked salmon, chia seeds, sliced avocado, extra fresh herbs left in fridge, soft boiled egg (made in custard dish in microwave, 30 seconds with napkin on top in case it sputters), snow peas, cheese chunks or parmesan, walnuts, bacon bits
I usually have extra candied pecans in the winter because I make them for gifts; they’re good crushed on top of salads. I like to use leftover “street corn” with crumbled cotija too. I usually make extra chili lime chicken and street corn on purpose, so I can put it on a salad later in the week.
3 Likes
I’ll use anything, usually a mix of a few, including Lacinato kale, arugula, spinach, chard, cabbage, romaine, green/red leaf lettuce. One of my fav salads is a mix of kale, spinach, and watercress or chard mixed with zoodles and a dressing of olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice with shaved parm or romano and pistachios.
1 Like
I usually buy the large clamshell of mixed greens and spinach, sometimes adding kale or other greens from the grocery store during the winter. I grow my own in spring, summer, early fall and supplement with local farm greens.
1 Like
Mmmm. All of the above! For me the big salad is more of a staple in warm weather. I tend not to put the carbs into the salad but rather have a nice piece of warm interesting bread with butter on the side.
Croutons!!
3 Likes
Inspired by this fun thread and other salad discussions, I tried something new today with my leftover dinner salad and frozen mango. It was tasty and a nice change of pace.
Details: After breakfast, I put some frozen mango chunks that I’ve been trying to use up into a small bowl. At lunchtime, I stirred some sesame oil and chia seeds into the fruit / defrost-juice. I put the mixture on top of the leftover greens (which also included celery and green pepper) along with a chopped half avocado, walnuts and a few blueberries I wanted to use. I considered adding smoked salmon, but I wanted to save it to use with a leftover half cucumber tomorrow.
2 Likes
Sounds yummy!
1 Like
I thought about this thread after I made my salad for lunch today. I decided to make a Trader Joe themed Thai chicken salad with TJ Spicy Asian Vinaigrette dressing. I used half shredded romaine/half shredded cabbage/carrot mix. Then I added thinly sliced red peppers and scallions. I sauteed a few TJ chicken strips in olive oil (you could use a few chicken tenders instead, but I used what I had on hand) with salt, pepper and cilantro, and shredded those, and then toasted some slivered almonds. Super yummy!
5 Likes
That sounds great!
What I have on hand is kale and tofu. Maybe I should try an Asian themed salad tomorrow.
1 Like
I love taco salads. Greens of some kind, some garbanzo beans, chicken or ground meat cooked with a little zippy seasoning, Avocado/guac, salsa, sour cream, taco chips broken into pieces. I add corn sometimes too. Really you can add just about anything.
3 Likes
We love grilled romaine salad drizzled with a simple olive oil/red wine vinegar/Dijon mustard vinaigrette:
As an appetizer, one of our favorites is a crab stack à la Home Depot that is basically salad fixings layered in a 3" piece of PVC pipe:
9 Likes
@ChoatieMom can you share the layers starting with the bottom? It took me a minute to absorb why the Home Depot connection!!! 
1 Like
Those are beautiful!
How about the recipe?
You will need four pieces of PVC pipe each 3” in diameter and 4” long. Spray inside of molds with canola (or other neutral) oil and stand one piece in the center of each of four serving plates.
Ingredients
(Each of the diced vegetables/fruit should produce at least ¾ cup, more is OK. Dice each into five separate small bowls.)
1 ripe avocado, pitted, diced
1 ripe tomato, cored, seeded, diced
½ cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced
½ firm mango, peeled, pitted, diced
¾ cup roasted corn (Trader Joe’s frozen works well)
1 6 oz. cans crabmeat (or 2 if you prefer more crab)
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Dressing
In a 2-cup (or larger) Pyrex measuring cup or small bowl, use a stick/immersion blender to combine:
2/3 cup canola oil
6 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
4 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoon honey
2 small cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ - ¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Keeping each ingredient in its separate bowl, gently toss each with 2 tablespoons of the dressing, reserving some for drizzling over the assembled stack. (Do not dress the crabmeat.)
Assembly
Divide the avocado evenly among the molds, gently pressing into the bottom of each to create a thin layer. Divide the corn, tomato, cucumber, and mango, in that order, evenly among the molds, gently pressing after each addition to create colorful layered stacks.
Divide the undressed crabmeat evenly among the molds, layering it on top. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more to firm up the stacks. Just before serving, carefully pull the molds up and away. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette around each stack and sprinkle top with chives or microgreens (optional).
11 Likes