ISO Favorite toppings on green salads

[CWS4322]

A friend of mine told me that what I do with green salads are things she would never think to do--berries, seeds, nuts, fruit, bacon (okay, bacon is a no brainer). I was wondering what DCers do to their green salads that take them beyond the tomato-cucumber-celery-lettuce level. What don't you like on your salad (goat cheese, walnuts, sprouts, etc.)

 

[Kayelle]

My SousChef should really answer this as he does almost nightly "glorified dinner salads". For some reason, I hate to make them., but love to eat them.

The base is almost always sliced romaine hearts of lettuce, topped with always mandatory slivered pickled beets. Even when good tomatoes aren't available, pickled beets can make an ordinary dinner salad memorable both with flavor and color. This time of year, leftover roasted asparagus is welcomed on top, and whatever bits of cooked or uncooked veggies on hand. We like our dinner salads sprinkled with salted toasted sunflower seeds.

Good subject by the way.

 

[taxlady]

Sliced cabbage, chopped broccoli, chopped cauliflower, thinly sliced red onion, sliced radish, thinly sliced carrot, julienned green peppers, garlic greens, chive flowers, nasturtium flowers, capers, snow peas

 

[taxlady]

What I don't want on my salad: fake bacon bits, most fruit, sweet salad dressing, orange cheese, MSG, canned peas, Miracle Whip or other bottled "salad dressing" of the kind that looks like mayo

 

[Dawgluver]

I love sunflower seeds, cottage cheese, frozen peas, golden raisins, lots of fresh ground pepper. Pickeled red onion.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I suppose it depends on the greens used. I have used, either alone or in combination, iceberg, romaine, spinach, arugula, kale, bibb or boston. Toppings in various combinations are tomato, radish, green pepper (burp), celery, carrot, green salad olives, black olives, artichokes in seasoned oil, sundried tomato, sliced beets, hard-cooked egg, garbanzo beans, scallions, cranberries, walnuts, sunflower seeds, leftover meats such as grilled chicken or tuna, ham.

One of our favorite summer combinations is a bed of iceberg/romaine chopped and tossed with leftover grilled chicken, corn, and black beans. Then we top it with chopped cooked egg, black olive slices, chopped tomatoes, and dressing. Himself is partial to a creamy, ranch-type, while I prefer a light application of Trader Joe's champagne vinaigrette.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Most of the time my salads are fairly standard.

Now that soup season is ending I will begin eating more whole meal salads using whatever turns up in the refrigerator from previous meals.

I enjoy Buffalo chicken salads with chunks of chicken tossed in hot sauce and topped with blue cheese dressing.

Taco salads with spicy ground beef, cheese, black olives, topped with a dressing made from mayo, sour cream and salsa.

Thin slices of steak with red onion on a bed of romaine topped with a sharp red wine based dressing and a little grated/shaved cheese.

A few shrimp on a basic tossed salad with a Thousand Island type dressing.

Salad is also a great way to get a dose of apple cider vinegar into your diet. Some people believe that consuming apple cider vinegar helps to lower blood sugar.

 

[larry_stewart]

Personally I love Roasted Sunflower seeds.

My mom has been making her " Super Salad" for years .
Typical lettuce, Grape tomatoes, cucumbers. But then underneath this all, she buries Black olives, Marinated artichoke hearts, Marinated Mushrooms and baby corn.
Usually served with Good Seasons Dressing.

She usually makes it in advance, which is why she places all the " Wet" marinated stuff on the bottom, so the lettuce doesn't get soggy. It is tossed last minute, and dressing is placed by the individual.

The REAL reason she buries the 'good stuff' cause me and my brother always periodically sneak into the other room, and try and pick out all the good stuff while we are waiting for dinner to be served

. So if its buried, it makes it a bit more challenging to do without going unnoticed.

Another thing I do, which has nothing to do with toppings, is I make the salad in a large plastic
container ( with a lid). this way, when its ready to eat, I dump the dressing in the container, close the lid, shake it up so all the leaves get coated and serve). I hate when all the dressing pools at the bottom, or when some of the things are coated, then you bite into a chunk that has no dressing, so this way kinda takes care of that , Assuming it will be eaten immediately, everyone likes the same dressing and everyone likes it coated as I do. Thats why I usually do it for my Immediate family only.

In addition, I may add Parmesan cheese, Shredded Mozzarella and those hot pepperoncini peppers .

*** Im an oil and vinegar/ vinaigrette kinda guy. I don't like the creamy stuff.

Larry

 

[Addie]

I take your standard head of lettuce, break off one half and cut into small pieces. If I have a cuke, celery and or radishes on hand, the cuke get sliced really thin and the celery along with the radishes goes into the small FP. Then everyone jumps into the pool and I bathe them in Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing. Because of digestion problems, I let them sit there losing their crunch and eat it all in one sitting. Salads are a treat for me. Only one or two a year.

 

[CWS4322]

Personally I love Roasted Sunflower seeds.

My mom has been making her " Super Salad" for years .
Typical lettuce, Grape tomatoes, cucumbers. But then underneath this all, she buries Black olives, Marinated artichoke hearts, Marinated Mushrooms and baby corn.
Usually served with Good Seasons Dressing.

She usually makes it in advance, which is why she places all the " Wet" marinated stuff on the bottom, so the lettuce doesn't get soggy. It is tossed last minute, and dressing is placed by the individual.

The REAL reason she buries the 'good stuff' cause me and my brother always periodically sneak into the other room, and try and pick out all the good stuff while we are waiting for dinner to be served

. So if its buried, it makes it a bit more challenging to do without going unnoticed.

Another thing I do, which has nothing to do with toppings, is I make the salad in a large plastic
container ( with a lid). this way, when its ready to eat, I dump the dressing in the container, close the lid, shake it up so all the leaves get coated and serve). I hate when all the dressing pools at the bottom, or when some of the things are coated, then you bite into a chunk that has no dressing, so this way kinda takes care of that , Assuming it will be eaten immediately, everyone likes the same dressing and everyone likes it coated as I do. Thats why I usually do it for my Immediate family only.

In addition, I may add Parmesan cheese, Shredded Mozzarella and those hot pepperoncini peppers .

*** Im an oil and vinegar/ vinaigrette kinda guy. I don't like the creamy stuff.

Larry

I too like to do the "shake it up" to dress a salad and prefer EVOO and vinegar, S&P on my salads. The only creamy I like is coleslaw...and potato salad, but when we have new potatoes, I like an EVOO and vinegar dressing. Your mom's trick sounds great!

 

[larry_stewart]

Your mom's trick sounds great!

Even now, at our age 46 and 50, we still get yelled at by our mom when we sneak into the kitchen, when no one is looking, and reach to the bottom of the salad to grab the ' good stuff' before dinner starts.

 

[RPCookin]

Not that special but I love red onion and sweet bell pepper on a garden salad. I also like a handful of "spring greens" or whatever greens mix I grab at produce counter. I like dried cranberries or cherries, sunflower seeds. One or two small slices of cheddar cheese on the side to take a bite from now and then - maybe a slice of deli ham cut into small pieces. Nothing too adventurous, but more than just the lettuce and tomato basics.

 

[taxlady]

Doesn't a plastic container with a lid to shake up the salad mean you have an extra container to wash?

I make the vinaigrette in the salad bowl, add the salad ingredients, and toss it well with the large salad fork and spoon that are used to serve the salad. I often toss after the addition of each ingredient.

 

[roadfix]

I like to shred some cold, leftover salmon over plain green salad.

 

[CWS4322]

I like to shred some cold, leftover salmon over plain green salad.

Leftover fish and canned fish I cannot eat. I will take leftover beef/turkey/chicken/pork and add those to a salad, but can't eat leftover / canned fish. The chickens like leftover fish.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I have a wonderful Chef's salad with a salmon filet on the top at Denney's the other day.

I make tuna salad and put that on a greens salad or shredded cabbage. The Tuna salad I make with a lemon and garlic vinaigrette.

I'm likely to put most anything on top of a salad.

I used spaghetti sauce, diced pepperoni, Parmesan and shredded mozzarella on top of grilled romaine a couple of weeks ago. The topping was hot. It was wonderful.

I also like a good spinach salad with bacon dressing and diced HB eggs.

 

[taxlady]

We have been known to make supper out of a loaded salad with a portion of tuna or chicken salad on top.

 

[Mad Cook]

A friend of mine told me that what I do with green salads are things she would never think to do--berries, seeds, nuts, fruit, bacon (okay, bacon is a no brainer). I was wondering what DCers do to their green salads that take them beyond the tomato-cucumber-celery-lettuce level. What don't you like on your salad (goat cheese, walnuts, sprouts, etc.)

I wish I liked soft goat's cheese because the recipes and salads look gorgeous but I can't bear the smell of goat that most of them have (the exception is Ribblesdale, which is a very mild hard goats cheese, a bit like Cheshire in texture, but made in Yorkshire
Ribblesdale Aged Goat Gouda – Yorkshire's Finest Foods )

I prefer a simple vinaigrette dressing on my salads to anything creamy. I quite like fruit such as apples or pineapple on salads. I find lettuce very boring, unless it's cos/romaine so I like a few herbs such a mint , basil or rocket/aragula with it. I like grated carrot ot carrot "sticks" on green salad. And I like raw "baby" spinach in place of or as well as lettuce.

 

[Maelinde]

This might sound a bit odd, but I absolutely adore a salad with mixed greens topped with home made egg salad, fresh sliced tomato, and some hot crumbled bacon.

With the egg salad, I don't need a dressing, but one could use a warm bacon dressing or just some simple O/V or vinaigrette.

 

[taxlady]

I wish I liked soft goat's cheese because the recipes and salads look gorgeous but I can't bear the smell of goat that most of them have (the exception is Ribblesdale, which is a very mild hard goats cheese, a bit like Cheshire in texture, but made in Yorkshire
Ribblesdale Aged Goat Gouda – Yorkshire's Finest Foods )
...

I have found that goat milk and goat milk cheese that is made at a goat dairy that has no billy goats doesn't have that smell. I am pretty sure the smell is contamination by billy goat aroma. It's very similar.