2008 Woodie Awards
Cooking with Lauren
Lauren Kerensky
Issue date: 9/30/05 Section: Arts & Features
- Page 1 of 4 next >
It is common to associate salads with bland health food, but with a little innovation they can actually make a satisfying meal. The key to a good salad is thinking beyond your basic lettuce and veggies, and instead adding some heartier and more enticing ingredients. An exceptional salad starts with your choice of lettuce, because various types hold dressings differently. Iceberg adds a nice crunch, but at times its watery makeup can dilute dressings. As a result, thicker ones like ranch or blue cheese dressing are best paired with it. Using a blend of lettuces, like romaine, mesclun and spinach add different textures and flavors. You can purchase a wide variety of prepackaged, pre-washed lettuces and blends, making it a snap to personalize your greens.
As for the character of your salad, it is helpful to think of a particular theme if you are faced with too many ingredient choices. You can choose to make your salad sweet, spicy, Asian-flared or southwestern-style. You then choose your subsequent ingredients to fit the appropriate genre. Next, you want to find a suitable protein for your salad, especially if it is your main course. Chicken is always a winner, but turkey works in some recipes as well. Shrimp is also an accommodating choice. If you are feeling ambitious, there is always salmon, and steak for those fond of red meat. Canned tuna is convenient, but only works on certain occasions because of its strong flavor; and tofu can be added for the vegetarians. Whatever you choose, there is always the option of purchasing the meats already prepared or cooking them yourself. There is also the unfailing opportunity to enhance the salad's flavor by seasoning or marinating the meat.
If you are a salad purist, you can jump right to the veggies next. A classic garden salad is enhanced by produce like plum tomatoes, peppers (red, green, or yellow), carrots, cucumbers, red onions, mushrooms, zucchini, celery and the list goes on and on. The wider the range of color in your salad, the higher its nutritional value. If the thought of having to cut all those vegetables makes you cringe, look for packages of chopped vegetables and you'll be done in half the time.
As for the character of your salad, it is helpful to think of a particular theme if you are faced with too many ingredient choices. You can choose to make your salad sweet, spicy, Asian-flared or southwestern-style. You then choose your subsequent ingredients to fit the appropriate genre. Next, you want to find a suitable protein for your salad, especially if it is your main course. Chicken is always a winner, but turkey works in some recipes as well. Shrimp is also an accommodating choice. If you are feeling ambitious, there is always salmon, and steak for those fond of red meat. Canned tuna is convenient, but only works on certain occasions because of its strong flavor; and tofu can be added for the vegetarians. Whatever you choose, there is always the option of purchasing the meats already prepared or cooking them yourself. There is also the unfailing opportunity to enhance the salad's flavor by seasoning or marinating the meat.
If you are a salad purist, you can jump right to the veggies next. A classic garden salad is enhanced by produce like plum tomatoes, peppers (red, green, or yellow), carrots, cucumbers, red onions, mushrooms, zucchini, celery and the list goes on and on. The wider the range of color in your salad, the higher its nutritional value. If the thought of having to cut all those vegetables makes you cringe, look for packages of chopped vegetables and you'll be done in half the time.