Salads are Kind of my Thing.

I teach over 30 different salads in my cooking classes at The Organic Kitchen. Salads are a delicious way to get your family to eat greens, fruits and vegetables in one fell swoop. If you want your family to eat salads, and not only eat them, but LOVE to eat them, here are The Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad! (Links to the recipes for most of these salads will be at the bottom of this post)

A woman pouring pomegranate vinaigrette onto a salad: The Secrets to Making Amazing Salads!

 

The Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad!

Variety!

No one wants to eat the same salad over and over year after year. The key to keeping salads interesting is changing it up! Use a variety of lettuces and greens: baby spring mix, spinach, kale, romaine, red leaf, mesclun, butter leaf …you get the picture. But just in case you don’t… here are a few pictures…

Herb Mix:

I use an herb mix in The Organic Kitchen House Salad.

The house salad on a small plate set on tablecloth: Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad

 

Romaine: Chopped Salad with Apple Vinaigrette

A chopped apple salad on white plate with salad dressing in small bottle

 

Baby Spinach: Roasted Carrot and Couscous Salad

Baby Spincah Salad with roasted carrots on white plate

 

Mixed baby greens… The Fresh and Easy Salad

Greens with fruits and berrries: Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad

 

Red leaf lettuce… Greens with Roasted Butternut Squash

Greens with Roasted Butternut Squash on white plate: Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad

 

Changing up the greens is a good start, but we also want variety in the ingredients we place on top of our greens.

Add Color by Using Seasonal Produce!

Color not only makes a salad more beautiful, it’s a way to guarantee you are getting a wide variety of nutrients. The more color you eat, the more vitamins and minerals you are consuming. Add color with seasonal fruits and veggies. Produce is always higher in nutrients when it’s in season.

Winter: Greens with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

 

Greens with Apples and Pomegranate seeds :Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad

 

Spring: The Rustic Italian Salad

Rustic Italian Salad on oval gray plate with salad utencils and half a pear alongside

 

 

 

Summer: Greens with Peaches and Golden Balsamic

 

Greens with Peaches on white plate with small bottle of olive oil in background: Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad

 

Fall: The Roasted Carrot and Sweet Potato Salad

 

Roasted Carrot and Sweet Potato Salad in beige bowl on marble surface

 

Texture!

I always provide texture in my salads by using a combination of something creamy or soft, like feta, creamy goat cheese, shaved asiago, or avocado with something crispy or with a snap, like raw nuts, caramelized nuts* or…

A series of photos depicting how to make caramelized nuts: Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad

…snap peas, red onions or fennel as pictured in this Italian Heirloom Salad

Salad on white plate with small bottle of balsamic in background: Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad

 

…or grains like brown rice or seeds like these roasted salted pepitas in my Chicken and Wild Rice Salad.

 

Chicken and Grape Salad on white plate: Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad

 

Warm it up!

Another way to add variety is to change up the temperature. A warm salad is a cozy and healthy option! Add warm breaded goat cheese or grilled veggies!

Greens with Pears and Warm Goat Cheese

Greens with Warm Breaded Goat Cheese and Fig Balsamic on white plate: Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad

The Grilled Veggie Salad

 

A salad with grilled vegetables and parmesan cheese on white plate: Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad

 

Dressing!

Last, but soooooo not least… add a variety of dressings to your repertoire! I use a variety of dressings for my family and cooking classes, all are delicious and good for you. The key to a delicious dressing is a combination of a healthy fat provided by olive or nut oils, and then an acid such as citrus juice or vinegar. We make passionfruit, raspberry, tangerine, fig, pomegranate, Champagne, Pear Chardonnay, white and traditional balsamic vinaigrettes and more! Homemade dressings are so worth the 2-5 minutes they take to prepare!

The Organic Kitchen Caesar Salad:

Caesar Salad on white plate with microplane and pamesan cheese wedge in background

 

So here is the formula for healthy delicious salad dressings:

Two parts oil (olive or nut oils) to one part acid (vinegar or citrus or fruit juice). This means you will use twice as much oil as vinegar. EX: 1/2 cup olive oil to a 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or juice. You can whisk that together and keep it that simple or add flavor enhancers such as chives, green onions, minced garlic or honey. Then add a little sea salt and pepper and you have a delicious healthy salad dressing. That’s it! If you need reassurance check out the recipes below, or enter salads in my search bar (upper right) and plenty of recipes will pop up!

 

A woman pouring salad dressing onto a platterr of salad: Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad

 

I hope you enjoyed these tips and learned a little something along the way. Scroll down for recipe links to some of the salads in this post.

Greens with Cherries and Nectarines 

Greens with cherries and peaches on white plate: Secrets to Making an Amazing Salad

 

 

 

 

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Post tags: How to, vegetable, vegetables, gluten free, dairy free