Follow this Formula to Make Every Salad Special!

A salad can be as simple as an everyday side dish with leftovers or as impressive as a  centrepiece dish that will wow your guests but still leave them feeling light and ‘fine’.

It’s also a great idea to take along to any social event to make sure everyone has plenty to accompany other dishes.

Whatever the occasion, the formula for success is the same.

It’s a no-fail formula

1. Pick a base for your salad (any washed green leaves will work)

2. Add colour, texture, flavour
– look in the fridge, freezer and pantry for what’s on hand
– if you have more time and energy, get inspiration from restaurant and cafe menus that usually have interesting combinations that work well
– ensure there is at least one intense flavour (even just a little makes a big difference, without adding too many extra kilojoules). Try bacon bits, olives, feta, antipasti mix, anchovies, chorizo, baby beets, capers, marinated vegetables or sundried tomato.

3. Layer the different ingredients on top of the leaves, leaving the most interesting colours, textures and flavours for the top layers.

4. Serve with an interesting dressing.  Combine lemon juice or a vinegar like balsamic (3 Tbsp) with some oil e.g. olive (1 Tbsp), adding a little sweetener to taste (like 2-4 tsp brown sugar) and some dijon or wholegrain mustard (1-2 tsp) as well. I like mine intense, like Balsamic Vinegar so I use 4 tsp brown sugar and 2 tsp Dijon.

My favourite salad dressing recipe 

My Top Tip: If you let everyone add the dressing to their individual plates then any leftover salad will keep better until the next meal.

For a main meal salad:

Add a cooked protein food (sliced often works best), perhaps something marinated in flavours, smoked or warm.  Try Thai beef, warm chicken, tandoori chicken, smoked salmon, trout, ham or chicken, boiled eggs, cubed or crumbed cheese, prawns or other seafood even warm marinated tofu.
Usually this protein layer is best added near the top of the salad, but also layer it with more colourful and flavoursome and textured layers garnishing it.

Salad Ideas from the Freezer:
Frozen baby beans, baby peas, tender corn kernels. Blanch these in boiling water for a few minutes, then drain well.
Bits and pieces left from preparing other dishes and frozen especially to add to salads like fried bacon bits or  left over roast pumpkin.

Salad Ideas from the Fridge or Deli
Meat, chicken, Fish, Eggs
Left over roast vegetables  like pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, beetroot, eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, capsicum, roasted canned chickpeas
Left over steamed vegetables
Blanched alad vegetables like blanched asparagus, snow peas, green beans, corn kernels (blanch these by pouring boiling water over them, stand for a few minutes until tender, then drain well)
Tomatoes, baby tomatoes lebanese cucumbers, red capsicum, red onion, avocado, salad leaves, shredded cabbage
Marinated vegetables like olives, antipasti mix, artichokes, eggplant, sundried-tomato
If you have an Asian peeler it can be used for green papaya, green mango, carrot
Fruit like orange, mango, pineapple, apple

Salad Ideas from the Pantry
Canned chickpeas and beans
Nuts – whole or chopped, or seeds. These are best toasted and sprinkled on top at the last minute
Canned vegetables like baby beets, asparagus, corn kernels, champignon mushrooms
Cooked quinoa or couscous to stir through the leaves
Dried fruit and berries
Crispy noodles

See the Salad Formula in Action

These two salads were made to serve 20 people.

The ingredients cost $40 (or $2 per person)

How do you make a salad? Leave a comment below and let me know.

And do stay in touch for more great ideas and recipes!

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