Homegrown: Salads
“As the garden grows, so shall the gardener.” -Unknown
Salads = bland and boring. Wrong! Salads aren’t necessarily a favorite for a lot of people, especially hearty eaters. It’s time to flip the script on typical lame salads. If you think salads are boring, it’s because you’ve been eating boring salads! Step aside iceberg lettuce and bland dressings, crave-worthy salads are taking over.
Greens Care/Harvesting
You grew all those beautiful greens and veggies, now what? Time to pick and eat! Lettuce is one of the easiest veggies to grow and harvest. Once your lettuce reaches the size you want, it’s ready! Keep in mind cutting lettuce in the morning gives you the best flavor. Whether loose leaf or head lettuce, you can either cut an entire bundle at ground level or cut a few leaves at a time. Alternating your cuttings allows the lettuce to regrow so you have a constant supply. Lettuce grows quickly, so cut from the outside and enjoy the new growth a couple weeks later.
Salad Components
Every mouth watering salad has a few key elements that make it satisfying. Lettuce and dressing just won’t cut it. Once you get the hang of what makes a tasty salad, you can ditch the recipes and start creating your own with ingredients straight from the garden. Use these five elements for restaurant quality salads you’ll actually WANT to eat.
Greens: Lettuces, kale, chard, arugula, spinach, cabbage, endive, mocrogreens, etc.
Protein: Chicken, steak, shrimp, salmon, eggs, cottage cheese, etc.
Crunch: Almonds, walnuts, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, apples, croutons, etc.
Color: Peppers tomatoes, shredded carrots, radishes, strawberries, blueberries, etc.
Tip: “Eat the rainbow!” Try to incorporate as many colors as you can for a variety of flavors tha’s also nice to look at!
Tasty Extras: Feta, parmesan, noodles, bacon, herbs, olives, dried fruit, avocado, sesame seeds, etc.
Time to dress it up! Drizzle your salad creation with your favorite store-bought dressing or learn to create your own. Just like the salad itself, dressings have a simple formula that you can doctor up as much or as little as you’d like. Just decide if you’re in the mood for a creamy dressing or a vinaigrette, and let’s get to it!
Creamy Dressing:
3 parts creamy base (plain greek yogurt, mayo, sour cream, creme fraiche)
1 part flavor (garlic, herbs, soy sauce, onion, shallots, dijon, ginger, etc)
Liquid to thin (lemon juice, lime juice, water, milk, etc)
-Whisk together creamy base and flavor ingredients. Slowly add liquid component until dressing is thinned out slightly, just enough to coat the greens. Salt and pepper to taste.
Vinaigrette:
3 parts oil of choice
2 parts acid (vinegar, wine, or fresh fruit juice)
1 part flavor (garlic, herbs, soy sauce, onion, shallots, dijon, ginger, etc)
-Whisk all ingredients in a bowl or shake in a mason jar. Salt and pepper to taste.
Tip: Make your dressing ahead of time to really let the flavors develop. Don’t dress your salad until you’re ready to eat. Nobody wants a soggy salad!
Recipes
Vietnamese Salad with Noodles
Step away from the stove with this cool, refreshing, and tasty pick-me-up.
*This is a large salad and serves about 6 people, so make for leftovers or cut recipe in half for a smaller portion.
4 cups lettuce, sliced (I used Romaine)
8 oz. rice noodles (angel hair pasta works too)
2 carrots, shredded
2 cucumbers, seeded and shredded
4 green onions, sliced
1 ½ cups bean sprouts
⅓ cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup fish sauce
½ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup sesame oil
3 TBSP sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ TSP crushed red pepper flakes
1 lime
½ cup peanuts, chopped
-Cook the rice noodles according to directions on the box. Rinse under cold water, drain, and add to a large bowl.
-Mix in the lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts, and cilantro with noodles.
-To make the dressing: whisk the sesame oil, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, garlic and crushed red pepper in a bowl.
- Pour ¾ of the dressing over the salad mixture and toss to coat. Add more dressing to taste.
-Sprinkle with more cilantro, green onion, peanuts, and a squeeze of lime.
-Optional: top with your favorite protein for a full meal. I like to use teriyaki chicken.
BLT Chopped Salad
A salad spin on the classic summer sandwich, my husband Kev’s fave!
2 cups arugula, chopped
2 cups lettuce, chopped (I used butter lettuce)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
5 slices bacon, sliced and cooked to a crisp
1 cup cooked sweet corn, fresh or canned
1 avocado, cubed
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2 green onions, sliced
Juice of 1 lime
1 TBSP olive oil
Salt and pepper
-In a large bowl, mix the lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, corn, and avocado.
-Drizzle with olive oil and lime juice. Toss well to coat.
-Top with bacon and feta cheese.
-Salt and pepper to taste.
Grilled Peach Salad with Prosciutto
This sweet, smoky, and savory salad is as delicious as it looks.
6 cups greens of choice (I used arugula, but you can mix it up!)
2 peaches, pitted and cut into 6 wedges each
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP honey (kick it up a notch with spicy honey, e.g Mike’s Hot Honey)
1 TBSP olive oil
2 oz. prosciutto, cut into ¼ inch strips
2 TBSP goat cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper
-Bring balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
-Reduce heat and simmer until vinegar is reduced to about 2 tablespoons (about 2 minutes).
-Remove from heat and stir in honey. Cool to room temp.
-Grill peach wedges on high heat for 30 seconds on each side. You want those gorgeous grill marks but the peaches to still be firm. Remove from grill and set aside.
-Whisk oil, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Add your greens/arugula and toss to coat.
-Serve your greens/arugula on a plate, top with grilled peaches and prosciutto.
-Drizzle with balsamic glaze and goat cheese.
Remember: Salads should be interesting, flavorful, and filling. Drop a pic of your salad creations in the comments, we’d love to see what you come up with! I’ll be on vacation next week, but tune on Wednesday for some exciting Benoit Greenhouse announcements!
-Megan