If easy salad recipes bring to mind images of tired iceberg and dull tomato wedges, fear not: You can keep salad recipes quick and easy and still break out of the same old salad rut. With simple additions like nuts, fruit and cheese, you'll be well on your way to serving up salads that make eating the recommended daily five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables a snap.
Know Your Salad Greens
Whether you're making a salad for yourself or a big salad for guests, you'll want to start by understanding all your options when it comes to salad greens. Ironically, the iceberg lettuce you might have grown up seeing in your salad bowl is the least flavorful and the least nutritious of the greens available today.
Spend some time in the produce section of your local supermarket or better still, visit a farmer's market and purchase a variety of greens like romaine, bibb or butter lettuce, baby spinach, arugula, raddichio, red cabbage, napa cabbage and assorted field greens, often called a mesclun mix. Greens are inexpensive, so you can get a lot of play for a few dollars while you experiment with different types and combinations.
Each kind of green has its own unique flavor. You may find you like the rich texture of baby spinach, which is also jam-packed with nutrients or that you prefer the buttery taste of bibb lettuce. The bitter undertones of field greens might be too much on their own for your taste, but mixing them with classic romaine lettuce might deliver the right balance you're looking for.
While bagged salad mixes are convenient, the bagging process does affect the taste of the greens. Avoid these whenever possible in favor of fresh greens.
Preparing Your Salad Greens
Store unwashed greens in plastic bags in your refrigerator's crisper drawer, making sure the greens are dry (wet greens spoil more quickly). Keep in mind that salad greens bruise easily, so you'll want to take care in handling them.
When you're ready to make your salad, take care to wash the greens by hand. Start by removing the stems any spoiled parts of the leaves, then plunging the greens into a large bowl of cold water. Swish the leaves just vigorously enough to remove any dirt still clinging to them and then remove from the water. Spinach is especially known for its grittiness, so you may need to repeat the process one or two times more.
When the greens are washed, drain them and then dry in a salad spinner or with paper towels. Always tear your greens by hand instead of chopping them with a knife; the knife's blade speeds up the oxidation process and causes greens to brown quickly at their cut edges.
Choosing Ingredients
Once you've prepared your greens, you'll be ready to add other ingredients. While classic salad vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber and onions are classics for a reason, think beyond these mainstays to turn your salad from so-what to spectacular or experiment with different types-grape tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes for example.
If you're serving salad as a first or second course, keep things simple: limit your ingredients to greens, a fruit, a nut and a cheese. Try goat cheese, dried cranberries and pistachio nuts or a sprinkling of feta with grapefruit sections and sunflower seeds.
For main course salads, consider adding avocadoes. Not only are they meaty and rich, but they're also full of good fats that support good cholesterol levels. Fruits like strawberries, oranges and blueberries dress up a spinach salad with minimal effort, as do slices of hard-boiled eggs, fresh mushrooms, radishes, bell peppers, cured olives, chickpeas or edamame.
Top main course salads with grilled chicken or salmon, tuna salad and sprinkle nuts, seeds or finely diced bell pepper on top for extra crunch and flavor.
Dressing Your Salad
You've no doubt sampled classic salad dressings like Italian, French and Ranch, but consider dressing your fresh salad with something new or different. For spinach salads, try a hot bacon dressing or make your own balsamic vinaigrette. Add heat and sweetness with a honey chipotle dressing or a bit of zest and tang with miso or tahini. Try to balance the dressing you choose with the flavors in your salad-if you're using a lot of fruit in your salad for example, you might want a more savory dressing.
Always dress your salad just before serving to prevent greens and vegetables from wilting or going soggy. If you're making your own dressing, mix it the same bowl you'll be serving your salad in. Coat the bowl with the dressing, then add your salad and toss together (you'll also have one less bowl to wash).
Fresh Salad Ideas
Classic Tossed Salad. When making a classic tossed salad, stick to mild greens such as butter lettuce, bibb lettuce, loose leaf lettuce, romaine and possibly a little chopped cabbage. Accent the salad with shredded carrots, chopped celery, decorative red onion rings, tomato wedges or cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. Add sliced fresh mushrooms and diced green, orange, yellow and red bell peppers. Top with croutons or sunflower seeds. Serve with an assortment of dressing choices and the option of freshly ground pepper.
Hearty Chef Salad. Start again with mild greens. Top with a variety of salad vegetables, but add a generous helping of cheeses like cheddar and Monterey jack. Layer slices of ham, turkey and roast beef on top of the salad. Add a hard-boiled egg, peeled and sliced. Serve with an assortment of dressing options.
Sweet and Easy Spinach Salad. For a quick, but delightful spinach salad, make a bed of spinach leaves. Add a generous portion of sliced fresh strawberries and sprinkle with slivered almonds. Mix together oil and balsamic vinegar with a dash of almond extract and ΒΌ of a teaspoon of poppy seeds for a quick and easy salad dressing.
Tangy Spinach Salad. For a bolder spinach salad, make a bed of spinach leaves. Add in strips of roasted red peppers, a handful of toasted pine nuts and a generous serving of crumbled feta cheese. Sprinkle croutons over the top. For dressing, mix together honey, red wine vinegar and one minced pickled chipotle pepper (canned, in adobo sauce). Sprinkle dressing over salad.
Grilled Chicken Salad. Start with a bed of field greens. Add in crumbled gorgonzola cheese, dried cranberries and candied pecans. Top with grilled chicken, still hot from the grill. Serve with raspberry balsamic vinaigrette.
 | If you've ever had a cobb salad, you've discovered how hearty and delicious a salad can be. Chock full of eggs, meat, cheese and avocado, a cobb salad is a meal that will stick with you throughout the day. |
 | If you are looking for an easy salad recipe for the summer, try this simple and healthy salad recipe. Create a simple salad vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mustard for a spicy kick. Serve as a simple lunch or unique introduction to a special dinner. |
Spice up your dinner routine with this underused and underappreciated pasta. Using only a few ingredients, you can quickly throw together a couscous salad and dazzle your dinner guests. |
Imagination and whimsy are all that you need to create interesting and wonderful combinations for quick healthy recipes for salad to your meals. |
For a basic arugula salad, I recommend you look for the large bunches that can be found in many gourmet supermarkets or at your local farmers market. |
