DIY Salad Bowls

So the other day, I was out for dinner and ordered an asparagus salad.  Anticipating something both visually pleasing and delicious, I was served …drumrroll please…a bowl of iceberg lettuce and asparagus.  I ate it nonetheless (gotta get those greens in ;)) but it was pretty pathetic.  Even a few cucumbers here and a bit of feta there could have redeemed the salad.  Seriously though, why do people resign themselves to thinking that salads mean a bowl of greens??  No wonder it gets a bad rep!

By definition a salad is “food mixtures either arranged on a plate or tossed; usually consisting of or including greens”.  They key word being ‘usually’.  With the exception of creamy dressings, it’s not rocket science to know that salads are packed with goodness.  As long as you ‘beef’ it up, they can also provide you with a steady flow of energy throughout the day…something lettuce on its own cannot achieve.  It’s also a great way to meet your daily requirements of the biggies: carbs, protein, healthy fats, veggies, and dairy.

When it comes to making salads, I literally go to town with ingredients.  I’m not even exaggerating when I say that my salads tend to have a minimum of 8 ingredients.  By the end of it, it’s a pretty Hugh Jass salad (say it out loud).   You would think a rainbow threw up on my plate- sorry, that was gross :lol:.  Especially on days where I can’t decide what exactly I am craving, I kind of go wild and just chuck it all in.   

Toppings which I’ve been loving in my salad lately include:

Vegetables

• Sweet potato chunks
• Arugula/rocket
• Lettuce (duh!)
• Cold grilled veggies including
  • aubergine,
  • mushrooms
  • cauliflower
  • red peppers
  • courgettes
  • butternut squash
  • pumpkin
• Sweet corn
• Cucumber
• Beetroot
• Cherry tomatoes
• Grated carrots
• Steamed broccoli

Fruits

• Raisins
• Pomegranate seeds
• Strawberries
• Granny smith apple
• Watermelon
• Grapefruit

Healthy fats

• Avocado
• Toasted flaked almonds
• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Pine nuts

Protein

• Grilled salmon
• Steamed prawns
• Grilled chicken breast
• Boiled egg (whites)
• Sprouts
• Kidney beans
• Black-eyed peas
• Chickpeas
• Parmesan
• Cottage cheese
• Cubes of cheddar

Miscellaneous

• Artichoke hearts of palm
• Black olives (SO much nicer than green)
• Jalapenos

Balsamic vinegar is usually my dressing of choice.  Because there are so many different flavours within the salad, anything else would be too overpowering.  As for the carb portion of my meal, I usually opt for a piece of bread or a savoury oat cake (same recipe as baked banana oatmeal but the bananas/vanilla extract/cinnamon are omitted and the sweetener is replaced with salt) topped with jam or hummus. 

There you have it: how to make a salad that will stimulate those taste buds.  Send my love to Hugh 🙂