Salad Season is Here: 5 Tips for Building a Perfect Salad Plus a Berry and Goat Cheese Salad

My friend Tracy Jensen of It Builds Character and someone I shared the Listen to Your Mother stage with in 2013 said, “Salad in the summer is refreshing and delicious. Salad in the winter is nothing but a cold plate of disappointment.” Which is why, now that it is FINALLY nice, I am making salads on the regular, and cannot wait to share recipes all spring and summer long.

There is nothing worse than a salad with bland lettuce, a few wedges of tomato and gloppy dressing. If you are relying on salads as meals and to eat a little healthier, you should consider the following tips.

1. Consider Your Favorite Cuisine – Whether it be Asian or French, Mexican or American make a salad that is conducive to your palate. You will be more likely to enjoy salads and eat them more frequently if they contain flavors and ingredients that you like. If you don’t like Greek food, don’t make a salad with red onions, feta cheese, and olives.

2. Think Outside the Box – When most people think about salads, they are in a strict vegetable mindset. Adding different fruits, grains, proteins, and fats not only add flavor and interest, but round out the health factor. Sure we have all see pasta salad, but how about a salad with a tablespoon or two of cous cous or quinoa as a grain option. Instead of the typical shredded cheese, how about some crumbled goat cheese or a few pieces of shaved parmesan for a different take. Instead of the same old croutons which add crunch, but are not particularly healthy how about a few walnuts? Instead of the same old chicken how about some lean shredded pork or hard boiled eggs or even half an avocado?

3. Just a Little Bit – Remember Elaine Bennis in Seinfeld talking about “The BIG Salad?” A salad is the sum of its parts. If you are tossing or shaking (like my Mason Jar Salads) salads well enough, you don’t need to add to much of any one ingredient. The lower calorie items like veggies and fruits can get a handful or two thrown into the mix, but the higher calorie items like grains, nuts, proteins or cheese get a TBS or two and I usually only do a TBS of dressing.

4. Mix it Up – When it comes to dressings sometimes I make my own sometimes I use store bought. I have found a really good balsamic and a really good strawberry poppyseed that I buy at the supermarket, but when it comes to a cilantro lime dressing I make my own. Again, this is up to you, but I will say if there is more dressing in your salad than salad, then you need to up the ante a bit in what you are putting in your salad.

5. Storage – Whether it be tupperware, glass mason jars, or storage bags there are several ways to store salads. However, there are two things that ruin salads. Moisture and stink. My tip for keeping the moisture out is a little piece of paper towel at the top of whatever container I happen to be using. This helps to absorb any extra moisture or condensation when you put your salad in the fridge. Let’s face it, some foods are stinky. Red onions, broccoli, hard boiled eggs, fish are all examples of stinky foods. If I am making a salad that contains a food that I believe to be in the stink column and I am not eating it right away, I will leave that ingredient out and store it in a separate container and add it in when I am ready to eat.

BONUS: Last week, I happened to have the following ingredients in the fridge and I came up with this amazing salad and had to share.

1 bag baby spinach

1 cucumber (peeled, seeded and chopped)

1 red Bell Pepper (seeded and chopped)

1 avocado chopped (squeeze a bit of lemon juice over avocado to prevent browning)

1 handful blueberries

1 cup cooked cous cous

1 grilled boneless skinless chicken breast chopped

3 Tbs goat crumbled goat cheese

1 Tbs Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing (I used Marzetti’s Simply Dressed)

In a large bowl add all the ingredients except dressing. Toss together. Serve and then add dressing to each individual’s portion.

What is your favorite salad?

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