"And Eat More Salad."

So I may be flying my freak flag a little high today with this post but I decided to post it today because it's my first day of my last year of college (!!!!!!!) and I had the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song "Teach Your Children" stuck in my head this morning-- more specifically a cover/spoof of the song that was performed on A Prairie Home Companion over the summer by a band from NYC about a graduation in Brooklyn where the refrain of "know they love you" was changed to "and eat more salad."

So, thanks Garrison Keillor.

I was beyond excited this summer when a new restaurant (which shall not be named) opened up in town and their specialty was-- yippee!-- salads. My mom and I went the first week it was open, all jazzed about the deliciousness we were about to consume and were spectacularly disappointed by our meals. Nothing was fresh, we had tons of crunchy, flavorless lettuce, few veggies, and lots of croutons. There's nothing worse than a wimpy salad. 

Admittedly, I'm a little vegetable obsessed. Purple Cauliflower? Amazing. Orange Beets? Mouthwatering. Don't get me started on my adoration of brussel sprouts. I think more people would enjoy their veggies and their salads if only they were exposed to more than the boring old iceberg-or-romaine-lettuce/out-of-season tomatoes/ranch combo.

The secret to loving your veggies is make a killer salad with them. You can easily make one of these hardy, delicious, and nutritious meals in your kitchen any day. Here's how to do it: 

Start with a trip to the farmer's market or another vendor/ grocery that sells fresh (like picked less than three days ago) produce. Buy something different, something you've never tried before, to add to your meal. Never had swiss chard? What about kale? Try it!

Diversify your greens. Many people don't realize how many different flavors exist under the umbrella of "greens." Spinach is pretty mild (in my opinion). Arugula is peppery. Romaine and Iceberg Lettuce have very little flavor, actually, no flavor, and therefore they do not have a place in my salads! Making a salad is an opportunity to experiment.

Think outside the box. The "other stuff" you put on your salad is entirely up to you. Just make sure that the veggies are as fresh as possible-- tomatoes, onions, carrots-- whatever tastes good. Then, think about shaking it up. Add something different. Maybe some quinoa? What about sprouts? My favorite is this brand (but I buy mine at earth fare). Maybe try tuna? Avocado?

Consider the ratio of greens to other veggies. There should be enough of the "other stuff" so every bite of the salad you take has some greens and some other stuff in it. 

Don't drown it in dressing. Salad dressing is meant to compliment the flavors of your awesome salad-- not drown all the icky veggies so all you taste is ranch. :) Use dressing sparingly.

I love making a homemade honey balsamic vinaigrette like this:

honey
balsalmic vinegar
cooking oil of choice (I like either olive oil or sunflower seed oil)
s&p to taste

I start with about ^^this^^ much honey in a bowl and add twice as much balsamic, a quick dollop of oil, sprinkle some salt and pepper and mix together with a fork. No worries if you make too much, the dressing will keep in the fridge, though I don't know how long-- mine usually gets used by the end of the week. :) 

And, that's it! You have a kick-butt salad to get you through your first day of class! Hope you enjoy it.

Madelyn

P.S. My roommate, Erica's blog lives here.