Five steps to making a good salad

Big ass salad

It's been brought to my attention that my ice cream recipes have convinced a few of you that you're going to need to invest in new wardrobes. So, I have a solution to counteract that problem: raw vegetables. And lots of 'em. Even if you get bored with eating vegetables, I'm fairly certain you'll learn to love them if you follow the requirements to building a filling, big ass salad, listed below.

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1. I've said it once, I'll say it again: chop all of your ingredients. Don't like mushrooms? Chop 'em! Can't stand avocados? Chop those, too. Chopping the vegetables allows you to easily mask the flavors of the vegetables you don't like. Not to mention, it packs a variety of flavors= into each bite.

2. Eliminate the need for dressing by bagging your toppings. Place all of your chopped, fresh produce (except for the lettuce) into a plastic bag. Add a pinch of salt, seal, toss and let sit for 30 minutes - the vegetables will produce a liquid, which will act as your dressing. But if you absolutely have to use dressing, dilute it. I'm a sucker for Brianna's poppy seed dressing - and when I use it, it takes about 1/4 cup to coat my salad. That's a lot of unnecessary sugar, so I dilute the dressing using one part water to one part dressing. Works like a charm!

3. Always add fruit. Always. I'm partial to apples, berries and currants (or raisins) (or dates). Getting a bite of something sweet makes eating a big ass salad a lot more tolerable.

4. Use an entire serving of each vegetable.  I start with 4-6 cups of chopped greens then add 1/2-1 cup servings of each vegetable. Carrots, celery and tomatoes always get the full 1 cup, while vegetables such as cabbage, avocado and broccoli may only get 1/2 cup. When all is said and done, your salad should be so big that you have to eat it out of a mixing bowl.

5. Drink water. Lots of it. Yeah, this isn't necessarily a step to making a good salad - but I've come to find that the only way to guarantee a salad keeps me full for hours is to drink at least 32 ounces of water while I'm consuming it. Yes, this means you're going to have to empty your bladder a few times, but it's better than getting hungry two hours later.

9 comments:

  1. These are great suggestions, especially #2 about diluting salad dressing with water. I never think to do that, but I'm going to give it a try next time!

    P.S. I nominated your blog for the One Lovely Blog award. The post is up on my blog if you want to check it out. :)

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  2. Great post Ashlae! You know I'm a sucker for chopped salads so I love tip #1 :) It is absolutely genius to salt your toppings to create a dressing and also brilliant to dilute your dressing! I'm totally going to start doing that. I also like your tip to drink lots of water. It's so important and you are right, it will definitely keep you full!

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  3. I read that you aren't supposed to drink water with meals because it can dilute digestive enzymes. I wonder if that is true, however...

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    1. Drinking water while eating actually supports digestion. Yes, the digestive enzymes are diluted, but the concentration of them does not have any impact on the rate of digestion.

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  4. I love, love salads but I can always use more tips! I like the dressing one; I never thought about drawing liquids out of the veggies.
    Also, interesting use of fruit. I like fruit in my salad but always forget to do it.

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  5. I love all of your ideas! I completely agree on the importance of chopping all of the vegetables. It's so much more satisfying to get a little bit of everything in each bite. Plus, it's just easier to chew. After transitioning to chopping a few years ago, I can't make salads any other way!

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  6. AnonymousJuly 14, 2012

    Awesome ideas. I, for one, love salads, whether they have fruit in them or not, but this made me realize that the ones that do have fruit in them really are the ones that I really love and think about afterwards. Mmm

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  7. AnonymousJuly 15, 2012

    those are some really great tips! i love salads - especially chopped ones! great post!

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  8. What great tips! I do love a good chopped salad, and will be implementing more of your tricks next time I make a salad... actually, I am currently eating a salad as I type this!!!

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