Salads are so good for us, but they aren’t always the most exciting option, which is why so many people tend to dodge them in favor of something tastier, and more interesting to eat.
The good news is, salads really don’t have to be boring! There are so many things you can do to turn an uninspiring salad into the best part of any meal, including the following…
- Roast the veggies
Most of us, most of the time, will eat our salad veggies raw. This is fine, and raw veggies certainly contain a lot of important vitamins and minerals that will help us to stay healthy, but it is not always the tastiest way of serving them.
If you want the flavors in your salad to really pop try slowly roasting those tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, before adding them to the dish for bolder, sweeter flavors and a more interesting texture too.
- Add lots of textures
Speaking of texture, one surefire way to make any salad more interesting is to ensure that it includes a lot of different textures. From crisp salad leaves to the crunch of nuts and seeds to the pleasingly chewy texture of pasta – this easy recipe for Asian pasta salad is a delicious example – the more contrasts in texture you can pack into a salad, the more satisfying it will be to eat. Experiment and see just how many textures you can fit into your next salad.
- Add fruit
Our people, when they think of salad, think of veggies, salad leaves, and oils, but actually, you can use fruit in your salads, and doing so gives them a sweeter, juicier more vibrant flavor. For example, berries, grapes, and mangoes go great in summer salads where freshness, and lightness are key, and oranges pears and apples are great in the winter months when you want your salad to be sweet and comforting. Again, experiment with adding fruits to your salads to see what does and does not work for you.
- Increase the herbs and spices
Some people simply dress their salads with a store-bought dressing and leave it up to that to do all of the work in the flavor stake. This is fine, but it does not always make for the most satisfying salads. If you want to really make the dish flavorsome, you need to think about adding a lot of herbs and spices, Some herbs, like cilantro, you can add whole to your salads like you would any leaf, for a more powerful flavor, while others can be turned into marinades for the protein elements of the dish, such as tofu and chicken. With salads, more is quite often more.
- Noodles and pasta are an excellent addition
Sometimes, salads are just too light to be satisfying. If you are having your salad as your main meal instead of a side, then, it is a good idea to add some carbs. Noodles and pasta are great in salads as they bring an extra dimension in the form of texture, can take on the flavor of any dressing you use well, and will guarantee you feel satisfied once you put your fork down.
If pasta and noodles aren’t your thing, then breaking some good crusty bread into chunks and mixing them through your salad is an excellent alternative too.
- Explore flavor profiles
You don’t always have to dress your salads with ranch, take inspiration from other countries, and give your salads a Mexican twist with lime juice and cilantro or an Indian flavor using cumin and curry powder to create a different dressing. Yes, the classics are great, but when it comes to spicing up your salad, looking at new and interesting flavor profiles to create interesting dressings is an excellent way of preventing salad boredom from setting in.
- Serve it in an interesting way
Serving your salad in a mason jar instead of pitting it in a dish or having it “grow” out of a melon., for example, can make it look more visually interesting, and since part of what makes eating so satisfying is what we can see visually, this can make your salads all the sweeter.
As you can see, salad really doesn’t have to be the most insipid item on the menu, so if you want your and your family to eat more of them, to get all of the health benefits a good salad brings, be sure to try out some of the suggestions above.