Making Salads Super
When the thermometer rises, you not only need to get in and out of the kitchen ASAP, but you want to eat something light too. I can’t think of a better meal than a salad to meet these two needs.
An Everyday Salad
Whether it’s summer or winter, one thing I like to keep in the fridge is my own mini salad bar. Just a few items like romaine lettuce or field greens, shredded carrots, chopped cucumber and tomatoes. I’ll usually combine the lettuce and carrots together in a large serving bowl, but I’ll wait to wash and cut the cucumber and tomatoes until a few hours before I serve them. I’ve found adding them to the salad mixture makes everything spoil a lot quicker. With just these four salad items I can enjoy a quick lunch. Or add more items for a dinner salad. Some of my favorites are cheeses, beans…garbanzo beans are a great hit with everyone.
Other Salad Items
I love experimenting with different salad items. Try items like beets and sweet potatoes. Toasted nuts, pecans are great. Chow Mein noodles, sundried tomatoes and dried cranberries.
Trio of Salads
Here’s a dish that’s really simple to throw together especially if you’ve made the salads ahead of time. Chill a salad plate for about 15-30 minutes in the refrigerator. Line it with a few lettuce leaves and with an ice cream-scoop and then place a scoop of egg salad, chicken salad and tuna salad along the leaves. Serve with crackers and it’s a light supper for the hottest of summer days.
Salads Around the World
Another thing I love to do is create my own versions of salads from around the world. Greek salad will feature olives and feta cheese. Italian salad will have tomatoes, mozzarella cheese with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. French salad with feature halved hard boiled eggs, steamed greens beans and potatoes.
Stuffed Tomatoes
And you couldn’t get a simpler summer supper than stuffed tomatoes. Just cut off the tops, scoop out the flesh and fill them with chicken, tuna or even potato salad. Serve them with crusty French bread and you’ve got a complete meal.
Fruit Salads
And salads aren’t just about savory items. There’s nothing more refreshing than a plate of summer fruits, watermelon, peaches, strawberries, etc. One thing I love to use as a dip for fruit salad is a vanilla yogurt.
Salad Tips
Here are a few tips I’ve found to making the salads last longer and taste better.
Never store tomatoes in the fridge. I keep them in a basket on my countertop. The cold air makes them lose their flavor. Just remember as the weather gets warmer and more humid, they’ll spoil faster, so don’t buy more than you can use in four or five days.
Discard the spine of the lettuce, that’s the white core pieces. I’ve found this spoils the fastest and then ruins the green parts too.
Another trick I’ve found is to store everything in the green produce bags you can buy from just about every catalog these days. I purchased mine from this company www.carolwrightgifts.com. They’re called Debbie Meyer Bags and cost $9.95. I was dubious at first, but they really do keep the produce fresher longer. I’ve had no more spoiled produce, and with food prices going higher, $9.95, is a good investment.