Fresh salads can be fun and easy to make - not to mention nutritious!
Most salads are made with a variety of fresh vegetables containing vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which are essential for our health and may even prevent disease. Most salads are also low in calories and fat-an important part of any well-balanced diet. Salads can be much more than just vegetables! They can be eaten as a side dish or as an entire meal.
Check out these tips for jazzing up your lettuce salad:
1. Start out with some fresh lettuce - the darker green it is, the more nutrients it has.
Try mixing several kinds of lettuce, such as:
• Spinach • Cabbage • Romaine • Chicory • Butterhead • Watercress • Red Leaf • Fennel
2. Add a variety of fresh veggies!
• Artichoke • Mushrooms • Asparagus • Onion • Beets • Parsley • Broccoli • Tender Parsnips
• Carrots • Peppers • Cauliflower • Radishes • Celery • Scallions • Corn • Sugar Snap Peas
• Cucumber • Tomato • Ginger • Turnips • Jicama • Water Chestnuts • Kohlrabi • Frozen Peas
• Leeks
3. Experiment with new flavors! Add some untraditional salad ingredients to jazz up the flavor:
• Strawberries • Dried Cranberries • Pecans • Grapes • Pineapple • Almonds • Apples • Olives
• Pine Nuts • Mandarin Oranges • Peanuts • Soy Nuts • Raisins • Walnuts
Quick Lettuce Tips...
• Use lettuce as soon as possible after purchase.
• When storing, remove wilted leaves and only wash prior to using.
• As with all produce, the outer surface may carry dirt and bacteria. After removing the outer leaves, wash your hands before rinsing and chopping the inner leaves to prevent contamination.
• Use a salad spinner for lettuce leaves or other veggies. Your salad will taste fresh without the excess water from washing, and it will last longer when stored.
• Keep unwashed lettuce in a perforated plastic bag in the vegetable crisper.
Top it off with a light and flavorful dressing!
• Choose an oil-based dressing more often than a creamy one.
• When choosing a creamy dressing, try a "light" version.
• "Fat-free" types can be higher in sodium and lower in taste!
• Try making your own homemade dressing.
• Use low-fat cottage cheese instead of dressing.
• Stick to 2 Tbsp of any kind of dressing.
Go easy on the "extras"
Some additions to salads can add too many calories and fat.
Here are some things to use sparingly:
• Bacon • Fried Noodles • Croutons • Egg • Pasta and Potato Salads
Make it a meal!
Any salad can become a meal by adding a source of protein to it. Try these:
• Grilled Chicken • Grilled Pork • Steak Strips • Shrimp • Salmon • Garbanzo Beans • Black Beans • Kidney Beans
Top it off with a light and flavorful dressing!
• Choose an oil-based dressing more often than a creamy one.
• When choosing a creamy dressing, try a "light" version.
• "Fat-free" types can be higher in sodium and lower in taste!
• Try making your own homemade dressing.
• Use low-fat cottage cheese instead of dressing.
• Stick to 2 Tbsp of any kind of dressing.
Go easy on the "extras"
Some additions to salads can add too many calories and fat.
Here are some things to use sparingly:
• Bacon • Fried Noodles • Croutons • Egg • Pasta and Potato Salads
Make it a meal!
Any salad can become a meal by adding a source of protein to it. Try these:
• Grilled Chicken • Grilled Pork • Steak Strips • Shrimp • Salmon • Garbanzo Beans • Black Beans • Kidney Beans
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