My ultimate guide to making a delicious salad
Ideas and suggestions to join the weeknight salad club
When I was a child I frequently ordered salads at restaurants. The waiter would always double-check with my parents if this 7-year-old truly wanted a salad for lunch and I did. I have always loved my veggies, I love a refreshing salad. This passion hasn’t changed over the years. I think a lot about food and with it salads too.
In this post, I plan to share my thought process of salad making. From base to toppings, to dressings. What I think about at the grocery store and how I approach it as a way to clear out the fridge.
One thing to keep in mind before we go into the details. When I make a salad, I make sure I cover all of the items of the food pyramid. This is something I learned in first grade and my Mom followed it religiously for our school snack. Each day it was one level of the pyramid. So use it as a guide, for whatever you need in life. I use it for my salads, but this doesn't mean I have to add all those ingredients, but it's good for reference.
So here is my guide to making a delicious weekly salad with ingredients you probably already know and love. Hopefully, it will make your weekday meals something you look forward to.
Base
This is the least important part of a salad in my opinion. To be honest, sometimes you don't even need it. Take Greek or pasta salads, or a simple favourite, carrots and lemon.
For a base, I usually go with the least flavourful option, iceberg lettuce., It's the most versatile, cost-effective, and builds volume and works with my classic dressing. This is the best lettuce for a taco salad too, helps balance out the fat of the protein. Yes, most people hate it and say it tastes like nothing but if you are adding salads to your routine, this one will keep in the fridge fresh for longer. Might be good for a starting base.
For a special salad, I would never go with an iceberg lettuce. I would probably go with spinach or arugula. Any deeper green leafy vegetable goes amazing with a balsamic and less citrusy dressing. Also, add a pop of sweetness like honey or maple syrup. Greener bases are bitter so adding some sweetness helps balance the tartness of the leaf and the dressing. Consider also adding some fruit or candied nuts to make it all come together perfectly.
Toppings
Here is where your food pyramid will take centre stage. Toppings are the most important part, without them you don't have a salad. The most important thing when choosing your toppings is to keep in mind that you need a crunch. That can be peppers, celery, nuts, an apple, croutons, or fried onion (a household favourite). You need something to balance the wetness of the salad.
I love adding cheese to my salads if I am not going with a creamy dressing. The dairy for me needs to be somewhere in the salad. It can be in the topping or dressing. Keep in mind that some cheeses are saltier than others so season accordingly.
You can add any type of protein. I am not a seafood person so I can’t vouch for any of those, but I have crisped up some salami to top my salad and it was pretty good. This makes the salad more substantial and perfect for lunches. If I have time, the night before I would boil a chicken breast with all my favourite spices, shred it, cool it and it's ready for you. Shredded chicken is cost effective and you will underestimate how much one chicken breast will give you.
Avocados are delicious and I love adding them in but I feel like they get lost in the mix. They don't shine as much as they do on their own. Add them to the mix if they are going to go bad but if you have a creamy dressing I don't think you will need it. Keep it for your avocado toast in the morning.
For grains, a pasta salad is pretty famous. Making croutons with your stale bread is easy and worth it. Bulgur is the base for tabouli which is just one of the best salads. Any grain can go in. Just make sure to cook it beforehand and you have plenty of time for it to cool. Remember that you are still making a salad, not a bowl. Add fiber but don’t overdo it if that is not the goal. Salads are a vegetable game.
Pickles, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes just make things better. Pick one but, again, don't overdo it. Preservatives have very strong flavours, make sure they are a nice surprise on your bites, not the whole salad.
Dressing
This will make or break your recipe, this is how important it is.
My perception of salads fully changed when I moved to Vancouver. I saw an aisle at the grocery store filled with different types of salad dressings and I was so confused. Bottled salad dressings were not a thing in my house. I knew all the flavours from the bottles but we made them at home. I didn't think you could just buy any dressing. That day, I bought one out of sheer curiosity and have never done it again since. If you are making the effort to eat a salad, might as well make the dressing. Your cutting board and knife are already dirty, just slice a lemon.
My go-to dressing is a mixture of salt, pepper, yogurt, mustard, olive oil and lemon. I love it, it's fresh and tangy and goes well with my lazy salads. A year ago, I discovered Sumac and it has changed my life. I add it to anything I can, that is how delicious it is.
Adding herbs you already enjoy to your salad is a great idea, fresh is best but if you have any dried herbs just mix it into the dressing, don’t go overboard. Nobody wants to be eating dried leaves.
You need acidity even if it's just a little, wine vinegar, lemon and balsamic. Choose your favourite and add a good amount.
For fat, I go with any type of dairy I have in the fridge and Olive Oil. I use olive oil all the time, no need to purchase anything else for your salads. Sour cream, yogurt, I have even added a dash of whipping cream. We are not looking to add that much flavour with the dairy, it’s just for consistency. If you are adding some sweetness to the dressing, you can cut the dairy. Maybe instead top it off with some cheese if you have any lying around.
The magic of making a good salad is adding things you like. When you are grocery shopping, get ingredients you are interested in trying. You don’t need that much. Start with the basics, base, 2-3 toppings (remember the crunch) and for the dressing, choose what type of acidic element you prefer.
I don't know if this guide is useful at all so here is the recipe for my classic no-effort salad:
Ingredients:
Dressing:
1 Lemon, juiced
Mustard
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Sumac (optional)
Garlic Powder
1 Dollop of Yogurt or Sour Cream
Salad:
(All these are optional and can change to taste)
1/2 a head of Lettuce, shredded
1 Tomato
1/2 cucumber
1 Bell Pepper
1 Avocado
Pita Chips or any kind of crunch
Feta or any type of cheese
Corn
Instructions:
Chop everything and enjoy!
Use up what you have in your fridge and experiment! For example, peppers weren't looking very good at the grocery store lately so I got carrots instead for some crunch. I love adding olives if I have them handy. I often make a couscous salad for lunch. I make couscous my base, choose 2 toppings and generally season with a lemon, olive oil and salt & pepper.
This is a bit of an obvious point but always get the freshest produce. That can change your salad but if you have a can of corn or frozen broccoli make sure they are washed or thawed and dried before you add them in. Nobody wants a watery salad.
For my most important advice, if you disregard everything I have said, just remember this. Always add salt to your dressing. I feel strongly about seasoning food well. I even add black pepper to my salads now. Salted salad, happy salad!
If you ever have questions or are looking for salad ideas, message me. I love helping you use what you have on your fridge. Make all those produce shine!
The queen of salads!
Luli, thank you so much for the ideas on how to improve my salads!! I will buy Sumac to try a different dressing.