Did I... did I just eat a salad?
I really, truly, seriously just ate my first salad in AGES. If you hadn't guessed, I'm not much of a salad eater. I tend to find lettuces other than iceberg to be very bitter.
I was searching 'round the fridge to see what I could come up with that I would like... the first thing that came to mind was "ranch dressing! yum!". Then I looked at the calories. Hmmm... how about italian? Again, calories (though 50 less than ranch). Finally, I decided on a little bit (about a tbsp) of sour cream with a few tbsps of salsa. I put a little less than an ounce of marble cheddar cheese in there too, which I was planning to do regardless of dressing. I love cheese in salads, it's the only way I can stomach them.
It was a non-iceberg based salad mix, I don't think it even had any iceberg in it. Oddly enough, I enjoyed it. Even more oddly enough, I don't feel the urge to eat more. One thing I noticed, though, was that something in there was very bitter. Eck.
So now that I know I can stomach a salad every now and again, I need some ideas as to some yummy toppers. I love cheese, onions (red or green), and those salad shakers you can get in your local grocery store. I just don't really know what other things I could put in there. When it comes to salad, creativity is not my forte. I've heard of putting walnuts or cranberries in them.. how would that work? Would you not put any dressing or what?
I feel weird with so many questions about a simple salad 
I'm a fan of romaine. It tastes more like iceberg but has more nutrients in it. And its so easy to chop up.
Kraft makes a light balsamic vinaigrette that is only 25 calories and I think 1 gram of fat per 2 tbsp. It tastes great.
These have been said already but my salads usually have (and I chop everything up really small) romaine, hard boiled egg, shredded cheese, onions, tomatoes, sometimes mushrooms, meat, and a sprinkling of croutons.
Original Post by ladyfirelyght:
I just never really thought of veggies and fruits melding together in one dish! I'll have to try some stuff out.
It seems strange to some people but fruits go REALLY well in salad. Esspecially when you use vinagrettes or salty ingrediants such as olives, meat, or cheese. I agree with you about iceburg lettuce though :S. Every time I tell people that I hate iceburg lettuce (and celery) because it tastes bitter they say "Lettuce (and celery) doesn't have a taste!" I'm happy to hear that someone else hates it too. Romaine lettuce actually has a better flavor than iceburg and I can stomach it but I do like to put meat (chicken, tuna, something), grapes, apples, onions, and other things in there to liven it up a little. Oh and Wishbone Salad Spritzers are great for all of your salads! They're only 1 calorie a spray (a few of the kinds are 2 calories a spray) and I only use 2-4 sprays normally.
feta, cranberries, vinegar based dressing (take your pick). Sometimes I like to throw some soy nuts in there for crunch. Mmmmmmm, tasty. Also, a salad of watermelon balls or cubes with feta and arugula (as we get hotter for summer, arugula gets more pungent and may be too much for you. Baby arugula might be a better bet in mid to late summer) is pretty good. I occassionally throw some basil in my salad just for something a little more flavorful than most lettuces. Ewwww, if you can find glazed walnuts or pecans, they are awesome on just about any salad with just about any dried berry (cran, cherry, blueberry)
I am a champ at taking something like salad and turning it into eggs, cheese and ranch. I started putting lots of shredded carrot on my salad and less cheese and ranch. Even though they don't taste alike at all, the carrot has slowly replaced most of my cheese on salad. Also, if you get ranch packets and make them with fat free or light sour cream, it's not so bad for you!
Could the chokers be watercress? It looks like a weed and has quite tough stalks. It's quite peppery and come across as bitter if you aren't used to it.
I hate dressed salads - I love baby leaves (spinach, rocket, etc) and pepping it up with fresh herbs from the garden - basil, chives, coriander, etc.
My favourite salad is rocket, spinach, watercress, coriander, chive, sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes (both for sweetness), celery and a little smoked bavarian cheese (not great in the calorie department but it's yummy!) I love the flavours zinging off each other - the peppery leaves and sweet veg go really well together.
If I do have a dressed salad, it can only be beef tomatoes, basil or rocket and feta cheese dressed in olive oil, lemon juice and course ground black pepper.
What can I say, I like my peppery flavours!!
I eat a salad almost everyday at lunch... it's simple:
iceberg (dole greener selection), can of chunk light tuna, banana peppers
A whole wopping 135 calories =)
So many great salad ideas! I'll have to pick up a few new ingredients the next time I'm at the store.
For lunch today I'm going to try a "salad wrap" with lots of lettuce, onions, maybe pickles, a tinge of mayo, lots of mustard, and a bit of tuna wrapped in a tortilla. I know I'm going to be out and about this evening, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get another meal. I figure something like that will have plenty of nutrients to go in it. Anything else you think would go well in that? Maybe egg? I don't really like carrots or celery.
All this talk of food is making me HUNGRY!
personally i cant stand the bitter lettuces either....i like to get the baby romaine mix...which i use for lettuce on my sandwiches as well since its prewashed and no chopping slicing up involved.....as for salad toppings my favorite is a couple spoonfuls from this "bean" dip recipe
1 can whole kernal corn, drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
2 large tomatoes, diced *sometimes i half a bunch of cherry or grape tomatoes*
finely diced red onion
and a bottle of non-fat italian dressing
just mix it all together and enjoy....
could the bitter choker be radicchio perhaps?
*shudder*
Sounds like tuna salad in a wrap and I put hard boiled egg and celery when I make mine (pickles and onions too). I like spicy wraps though so I would add some red pepper or tobasco and only add half a serving of mayo. Green olives would be good in it, IMO.
Original Post by leiann:
Sounds like tuna salad in a wrap and I put hard boiled egg and celery when I make mine (pickles and onions too). I like spicy wraps though so I would add some red pepper or tobasco and only add half a serving of mayo. Green olives would be good in it, IMO.
Ooo, I have this hot sauce that I just remembered I really love. It's called Cholula and has the greatest flavor. Mmmm! That'll be awesome!
lanedown: I just did some research and I found out that what it was was a type of Endive called Frisee (as one other poster suggested). It looks like a tree. Eww! Radicchio is the red lettuce.
lately i've been having warm steamed asparagus on top of cold greens with some balsamic vinaigrette or Newman's own oriental dressing. its great when asparagus is in season and so delicious. plus its filling!
Your chokers are indeed called frisee, other very bitter things to watch out for in salad mixes are curly endive and raddichio (looks sort of like purple and white cabbage). Personally I like the bitter stuff, especially with a sweet and sour dressing like balsamic vinaigrette. It tastes very balanced to me!
Red leaf lettuce is one of my favourite lettuces, it had a really nice texture and taste (and is totally non-bitter). One of my favourite salads is sort of greek, using red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, lite feta cheese, a bit of evoo and lemon juice, cracked pepper, and avocado peices that have been pre-tossed in some lemon juice. Soooo yummy.
Another yummy salad: spinach leaves, strawberry slices, red onion, and small balls of goat cheese rolled in poppy seeds (about the size of a marble). Toss with a sweet balsamic vinaigrette.
A small amount of toasted nuts can really enhance a salad, like slivered almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans. If you toast them yourself just before making the salad, they are very fragrant and crunchy and you don't need much of them to really add flavour. Sunflower seeds are nice too.
Nuts paired with fruits in salads really work well, like pears, apples, grapes, nectaries, strawberries, dried cranberries or cherries, raisins...add a small amount of a strong-flavoured cheese like asiago and a light vinaigrette and you have something special!
My mom made this salad last week and I am still drooling remembering it: Baby spinach leaves, slices of nectarine, avocado, and red onion, and a dressing made from 2 parts fat-free yogurt, one part oil, a bit of sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, and zest from both, s&p, and poppy seeds. She added some grilled chicken to make it a meal, what a great lunch!
Sorry for such a long post, I am passionate about salads but only if they are really interesting and tasty! Iceberg sucks!
I tried a new salad combo the other day - nothing crazy, but hadn't put it together before. My husband said something about wanting waldorf salad. So, we made one, but added lettuce...
Apples, celery, raisins, walnuts, romaine, topped with some balsamic vinegrette.
YUM!
Mesclun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(pronunciation: MESS-klunn) Mesclun is a salad mix of assorted small, young salad leaves. The mix varies depending on the source, but it may include lettuces, spinach, arugula (rocket), Swiss chard, mustard greens, endive, dandelion, frisée, mizuna, oak leaf, mâche, radicchio, sorrel, and/or other leafy vegetables. Mesclun is good up to 5 days in a plastic bag. Wash and blot dry just before using. The name comes from Provençal (Southern France)—mescla, "to mix"—and literally means "mixture".
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