I need some good salad combos--ideas pls!

[Chris in VA]

I'm tired of our salads--basically bagged lettuce and a cuke with maybe some green pepper and a carrot. Pretty sad! lol

 

I have a nice recipe I make occasionally--pretty much just lettuce with sugared almonds, mandarin oranges and cukes with a tangy-sweet dressing (3 vinegars, 3 oils, T of sugar, mixed up and poured over). I also do green leaf lettuce with pine nuts, feta and red grapes with a balsamic dressing.

 

More ideas please? Green salads, I mean--not pastas or rice salads. What else is good in combo, with what dressings? TIA

[gpsings]

green onion, rice vinegar, olive oil, sugar and soy sauce mixture...add some wontons and maybe some chicken?

[Unicorn.]

Lettuce (green leaf or iceberg or both), baby spinach, sliced strawberries, a can of mandarin oranges (drained of course), and drizzle w/ raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing. My family loves this one.

[Jen in PA]

I love to add diced tart apple, dried cherries (cranberries work too), crumbled gorgonzola, and slivered almonds to whatever greens I have on hand. We usually just drizzle on olive oil and either red wine vinegar or balsamic.

[HollyBee]

Here's my recipe for Salad Parmesan:

 

 

In a large bowl, mix together:

 

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 T lemon juice

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

dash dry mustard

1/4 c. salad oil (I like to use canola or light olive oil--extra virgin is too strong)

approx. 1/4 to 1/3 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 

Toss with a head of torn romaine lettuce.

 

 

Note: this is the only salad my kids will eat. They will not eat bottled salad dressings. I end up making this a LOT! And I often eyeball the measurements for the cheese and lettuce. You can use the stuff in the green can, but freshly grated really makes this salad! I pre-grate and store it in the freezer.

 

Oh, and I sometimes add grilled chicken breast to make it into a main dish salad.

[Heather in AL]

We eat tons of salads here, but I always make the same one, as it's what my crew loves.

 

Romaine lettuce (or green leaf if the romaine isn't nice) with tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, green onions, red onion, radish slices, and fresh mushrooms (it took me a LONG time to get used to that, as I don't like their texture). Dh likes to slice banana peppers and add them to his salad (he's the only one who eats them).

 

For dressing, again, it's the same thing every time---- I make a vinaigrette. I use 3 spoons EVOO to one spoon of red wine vinegar or raspberry wine vinegar (I use strawberry wine vinegar, too, but prefer the raspberry), and I add a dollop of Maille or Grey Pupon mustard. Whisk together & pour over salad. The size of the spoon depends on how large your salad is--- since I make a huge salad, I use a serving spoon from my hostess set. If you want a 'measure', my Salad Nicoise recipe calls for 1/4c vinegar to 1/2 c EVOO. We prefer a bit more vinegar, though.

 

Sometimes, I'll add baby spinach to the salad, and sometimes I'll bring sunflower seeds or dried cranberries to sprinkle on top.

 

Oh! Crumbled Feta cheese sprinkled on top is a favorite, too.

[fairfarmhand]

I ate this one at Steak and Shake the other night and it was FABULOUS!

 

Lettuce, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, red grapes, sliced apples topped with a bit of blue cheese (don't normally like blue cheese but in this it was awesome) and candied walnuts. I ordered a grilled chicken breast on the top.

 

And I think the manager said he drizzled a bit of honey over all. It was the best salad I've had in a long time!

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I'm tired of our salads--basically bagged lettuce and a cuke with maybe some green pepper and a carrot. Pretty sad! lol

 

I have a nice recipe I make occasionally--pretty much just lettuce with sugared almonds, mandarin oranges and cukes with a tangy-sweet dressing (3 vinegars, 3 oils, T of sugar, mixed up and poured over). I also do green leaf lettuce with pine nuts, feta and red grapes with a balsamic dressing.

 

More ideas please? Green salads, I mean--not pastas or rice salads. What else is good in combo, with what dressings? TIA

 

I love a salad we used to get in Sicily: Ensalata Valentino. It had romaine, prociutto (ham), mozarella, green peas (not canned please), sliced mushrooms, and sliced hard boiled egg. It was sprinkled with oregano, salt, and pepper, then drizzled with olive oil and vinegar. Yum!

 

I also love spinach, strawberries, and nuts, with raspberry walnut vinagrette.

 

I make a broccoli salad with broccoli, chopped apples, raisins, sunflower seeds, crumbled bacon, and ......Miracle Whip. :D

 

I've had a lovely cabbage salad recently with almonds and crushed ramen noodles, dried cranberries and vidalia onion dressing.

[MBM]

Go check out the recipes at Prevention.com. I'm going to make their crabmeat salad tonight with green beans and apples. Add some asparagus soup with ****ake mushrooms. (Apparently, the editing feature thinks these mushrooms are a naughty word!)

 

Anyhoo, here's one my youngest's favorite:

 

GOAT CHEESE MEDALLIONS WITH BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE DRESSING

 

A.

One bowl of mesclun, lettuce, spinach or frissee or a combo of those

 

B.

Dressing:

4 tsp of 21-year-old balsamic vinegar

1 tsp powdered mustard

salt and freshly ground pepper

EVO

 

In a bowl, whisk the mustard, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Slowly add EVO while whisking it into the vinegar mixture.

 

Toss the salad and dressing.

 

C.

Fried Goat Cheese Medallions:

4 ounce goat cheese log, cold

1 egg, beaten

1 cup of bread crumbs with salt and pepper added

3 TBSP olive oil for frying

 

Slice the goat cheese into four circles. If they crumble, just pat them together in your palms. Dip into egg, then into breadcrumbs. Place on a plate.

 

Next, heat olive oil on medium high in a small pan. 1/8" of oil should cover the bottom. Don't allow the oil to smoke. Once hot, place the four medallions in the pan. Fry one side for about 30 seconds, gently flip and fry for another 20 seconds or so. You want both sides to be light brown. Remove and place on paper towels.

 

Dish up the salad and put a medallion or one-half on the salad.

[DianeW88]

Well, this is my absolute FAVORITE restaurant in the world right now and their salads are to die for!! Seriously, I would eat there every day for lunch if I could afford it. So here is the link to their salad page and the ingredients in each one:

 

http://www.zupas.com/index.php/specialty-salads/

 

Diane W.

married for 22 years

homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

[i.love.lucy]

Yummy thread!!!! These are some great new ideas to try. My husband likes to turn his nose up at sweet things in his salad: the poor man is so unsophisticated!;) But I will try again because he does love a spinach salad with a sweet/tangy dressing.

 

For my kids it's all about the dressing. They will eat almost anything in their salad if it has the right dressing. I focus on Spring greens/spinach because of the health benefits, mushrooms, tomato, etc. But they LOVE Cesar dressing. I don't go to the trouble of making it homemade but found a great all natural one they love.

 

Thanks for the thread! In the heat of summer we do eat a lot of salads like this with some sliced grilled chicken, or some grilled salmon, or even a dollop of egg salad or tuna salad on top and call dinner done.

[Oney Jones]

Try adding bleu cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts or cashews to a green salad. Vinegar and oil dressing with S & P.

 

That always shakes up a boring green salad. Sliced fresh strawberries and crispy bacon spark a flavor burst too.

[Oney Jones]

Garbanzo beans (Chick peas) tossed in are a treat. (drain well and chill before adding to salad)

[Tohru]

Yummy recipes!

 

My MIL is salad queen! I wish I had her talent of throwing things together.

 

She grabs a bag of salad and then adds stuff.

Here are somethings I can remember:

 

avocados & red onions, sometimes with tomatoes

dried cranberries & almond slivers or walnut pieces

mandarin oranges with or w/o pineapple chunks

green pepper bits & pineapple chunks, with or w/o red onions

 

Dressings:

she usually stays with complimentary colors of what she's added, sticking mostly with vinaigrette and balsamic bases. The salad additions & dressing colors are kind of like matching clothes :)

Edited June 9, 2010 by jadedone80

[Oney Jones]

avocados & red onions, sometimes with tomatoes

 

You had me at avocados! :lol:

 

 

The salad additions & dressing colors are kind of like matching clothes :)

 

True story! Never heard it put that way, but yeah! It is. Now, I'll be wondering, "Does this dressing make my butt look big?" ;)

[3littlekeets]

My favorite is this classic because the dressing is so yummy...

 

Columbia Restaurant's 1905 Salad

For the salad ~

6 cups romaine or iceberg lettuce (or a combination)

2 ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into eighths

1/2 cup Swiss cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

3/4 cup ham, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1/4 cup pitted green olives, chopped

For the dressing ~

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 

Preparation ~

Toss all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, oregano, Worcestershire, vinegar and lemon juice. Gradually whisk in the olive oil to form an emulsion. Add dressing to salad and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with the grated Parmesan and serve.

Serves 2 for dinner

[3littlekeets]

And there is always the perfect summer salad

 

SPINACH and STRAWBERRIES

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-and-strawberry-salad/detail.aspx

[vettechmomof2]

dark greens, walnuts, craisins, cheese, chicken or any meat in our house, dollop of ranch dressing with a dollop of salsa, peppers, carrots and whatever other veggies we might have around at the time.

But that salad is pretty much a daily staple in our house.

 

NOt everyone does the nuts though. Only my daughter and I do.

[Parrothead]

I just posted a few ideas on Quiver's eating greens thread.

 

Bitter green salad with roasted pears

Green leaf lettuce , pomegranate adn almond salad

Grilled Caesar salad

Caesar salad

Spinach with strawberry vinaigrette

Mesclun salad with fried shallots and blue cheese

Arugula salad with olives, feta and dil

[Pippen]

I often bring this to potlucks and when I bring meals to families and it always is a big hit.

Spinach Salad

Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon pepper

onion to taste (recipe calls for ½ medium onion—I use two tablespoons)

IThis Craisin Salad is a whole meal if you include the chicken. I like to make an extra batch of dressing to marinade the chicken in before grilling it.

Craisin Salad

 

1 head red leaf lettuce

1 head green leaf lettuce

1 head iceberg lettuce

(I use a few bags precut that contain red lettuce)

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

8 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 pound bacon, fried/drained/crumbled

6 chicken breast halves, cooked and diced

½ cup sliced almonds

½ cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

 

Dressing (Make up 12 hours in advance. Coat just prior to serving)

½ cup sweet onion, chopped

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon dry mustard

½ cup red wine vinegar

1 cup canola oil

 

 

Finely chop onion and mix with other ingredients 12 hours in advance.

Salad Ingredients

Spinach, washed & dried

bacon, fried crisp & drained

One 11-ounce can mandarin oranges

mushrooms & avocado (optional)

Just before serving, mix ingredients and toss with dressing

[Chaqar]

For green salads with lots of chopped veggies, I love Newman's Own Light Lime Viniagrette dressing.

 

Try green onions, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini or broccoli, plus...something sweet (dried cranberries or golden raisins perhaps) and something crunchy (croutons, sunflower seeds or any kind of nut) and maybe some kind of cheese (goat cheese is especially yummy).

 

I'd add kidney beans for protein to make it a complete meal.

[Crissy]

Romaine and spinach are usually the base of our green salads. The toppings tend to be these combinations:

 

 

Montmorency cherries, feta, pine nuts

 

Dried cranberries, diced apples, pecans

 

Basil, grape tomatoes, fresh mozzerella

 

Whatever raw veggies I have on hand: cauliflower, broccoli, celery, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, bell pepper, sugar snap peas...

[whitestavern]

romaine, fresh mozz, kalamata olives, red onion, grape tomatoes w/balsamic dressing

 

romaine, strawberries, almonds w/balsamic or poppy dressing

 

spring mix lettuce combo, blue cheese, walnuts w/ balsamic dressing (good w/pears, too)

 

arugula, grape tomatoes, shaved parm w/olive oil, vinegar, lemon dressing

 

Caesar (romaine w/cheese, garlic, olive oil, lemon, pepper, croutons)

[3lilreds in NC]

My mom told me that dill pickles are really good in a salad. I have not tried it yet. I think she means just added to a regular salad along with whatever else tickles your fancy. I don't think I would like dill pickles with dried fruit, though. :D

[sheryl]

I'm tired of our salads--basically bagged lettuce and a cuke with maybe some green pepper and a carrot. Pretty sad! lol

 

I have a nice recipe I make occasionally--pretty much just lettuce with sugared almonds, mandarin oranges and cukes with a tangy-sweet dressing (3 vinegars, 3 oils, T of sugar, mixed up and poured over). I also do green leaf lettuce with pine nuts, feta and red grapes with a balsamic dressing.

 

More ideas please? Green salads, I mean--not pastas or rice salads. What else is good in combo, with what dressings? TIA

 

 

OH yes, I love salads. I use field greens, baby lettuces, and/or lots of ROMAINE...love romaine!!

 

lettuce

blueberries and/or raspberries (look pretty against the dark green)

fresh mozerella cheese

"maybe" small diced tomato

sliced almonds

maybe croutons

blue cheese vingarette (sp?) dressing

 

variation: fresh zested parmesan cheese

raisins

shredded cheese of your preference

cucumber

onion

bell peppers

etc

[LauraGB]

The staple salad I usually make goes like this:

 

On a large cutting board, thickly slice and layer the following: cucumber, zucchini, tomato(es), red onion, green or red pepper. Toss in some kalamata olives. Pile the lettuce on top of your stack of veggies. If you have some basil leaves on hand, put a few of those on the pile, too. Roughly chop it all so the juices of the veggies get mixed into the lettuce. The dressing is either lemon juice or red wine vinegar, olive oil, a crushed garlic clove, a small tsp of dijon, salt and pepper, and sometimes oregano. Mix that and pour it over the pile on your board. When you serve the salad, top with feta and raw sunflower seeds. Yum.

 

Another one I like is cucumber, red onion, green pepper, kidney beans, thawed peas, sunflower seeds and shredded cheddar. Great with a ranch dressing or even the above run of the mill vinaigrette. Crackers are great with this one, too.

[myfunnybunch]

Haven't had a chance to read the other replies, but my favorite salad additions are dried fruit or sliced berries, nuts (hazelnuts, pecans or almonds) and goat cheese if I've got it. Serve with a berry vinaigrette, which you can buy or make by whirling fresh or frozen berries in a blender witha basic oil-and-vinegar dressing.

 

Cat

[Chris in VA]

THANKS!!!!

 

I am printing this whole thread and putting it my recipe book.

Can't wait to try some of these puppies!

 

My mom can't have strawberries, so those will have to wait, but I will make something from this list (maybe two or three!) for ds' grad party next week.

Whew! So glad I have something to work with now.

[Dawn in OH]

One of our favorites is fresh spinach, chopped walnuts, apples and raspberry vinaigrette.

[Ellie]

In a tossed green salad, my additions of choice are avocado, chopped hard-cooked eggs, those teeny tiny corn on the cobs, bean sprouts (not alfalfa sprouts), crumbled bleu cheese, cumcumbers, sometimes black olives, sometimes cherry tomatoes. I usually use Ranch dressing, and I toss the salad with the dressing it before I serve it. People in my family learn to like Ranch dressing, lol, because I refuse to put bottles or bowls of dressing on the table.:D

 

If I were to serve a different salad, a "specialty" one like spinach and sliced strawberries, I'd use a different dressing, of course, but I would still toss before serving it.

[aggieamy]

And there is always the perfect summer salad

 

SPINACH and STRAWBERRIES

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-and-strawberry-salad/detail.aspx

 

This is very similar to my all time favorite salad. (Also from allrecipes.com) Even my DH who isn't a salad fan will get seconds of this.

 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Strawberry-Spinach-Salad-I/Detail.aspx

[unsinkable]

Greek -- feta, olives, red onion, cucumbers

 

Italian -- roasted peppers, parm ch or fresh mozz, salami

 

You could also go online and look at the salad ingredients at Panera. I LOVE their salads!

[unsinkable]

Well, this is my absolute FAVORITE restaurant in the world right now and their salads are to die for!! Seriously, I would eat there every day for lunch if I could afford it. So here is the link to their salad page and the ingredients in each one:

 

http://www.zupas.com/index.php/specialty-salads/

 

Diane W.

married for 22 years

homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

 

Those look awesome!

[kalanamak]

I really like Penzey's Greek dressing mix, with a good red wine vin and a good olive oil.

 

Another nice one is one part ice water, one part EVOO, one part balsamic vinegar with a dollop of Dijon mustard, shake well.

 

A nice addition is chopped asparagus, steamed. While hot, put in a lidded bowl with EVOO and white wine or champagne vinegar, some minced onion and herbs of choice. Shake. Chill, and pour over your salad.

[LibraryLover]

It depends on my mood, but I like:

 

Garbanzo beans

Slivered almonds

Sunflower seeds

Various greens: romaine, parsely, arugula, red leaf, black simpson, red leaf etc etc etc etc

Tomatoes, cucumber,red pepper

Feta cheese

Cheddar cheese

Chopped hard-boiled egg

Olives of all kinds

tuna chunks

shredded chicken

Fresh peas

Peppers of all kinds

Strawberries

Any sort of sprouts

Chopped avocado

Shredded carrots

Edited June 9, 2010 by LibraryLover

[MaMa2005]

I like to marinate, in Italian dressing, bite size pieces of broccoli, cauliflower, olives, colored peppers, grape tomatoes, mushrooms or any other fresh vegetable in season. Cover and then when ready to make your salad, just top the lettuce with a few spoonfuls of this mixture. Lots of crunch and the marinated vegies will last about a week.

[Audrey]

Well, this is my absolute FAVORITE restaurant in the world right now and their salads are to die for!! Seriously, I would eat there every day for lunch if I could afford it. So here is the link to their salad page and the ingredients in each one:

 

http://www.zupas.com/index.php/specialty-salads/

 

Diane W.

married for 22 years

homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

 

 

Oh wow. I think I just died and went to salad heaven. :drool5:

[Vida Winter]

google recipes for mango/black bean salad - an unlikely combo that is delicious.

[cocoabean]

My favorite salad ever...

 

Main ingredient:

Chopped iceburg lettuce (I do substitute spinach or leaf lettuce if I have that)

To the lettuce add:

Chopped slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)

Chopped Broccoli or Cauliflower (I don't like both together)

Chopped tomatoes

Shredded cheddar cheese

A meat (shredded chicken, or roast beef, or ham or crumbled bacon)

Sprinkle very lightly with salt, then top w/ Light Zesty Italian and Light Ranch dressings (Kraft is my fave brand).

 

Mmmm. It's very late, and I should be in the bed. But now I'm craving a salad. lol