Salads

[tbain]

Just out of interest, when you make a salad what kind do you tend to make and what ingredients do you use? Just after some ideas to do my salads a bit different!

[Ben]

Pasta salad is always a fave of mine. Pasta, mushroom, tuna (possibly)/ham, chicken. Meh, it's been along time since I made one, I don't even know what to put in it.

[chrysalis_stage]

I have a big black bowl in which I make chicken salad. I make it when its warmer for dinner and share it with the bf. Cook chicken breast and possibly put cajun powder on it. Ill use lettuce, rocket, sometimes throw some cress in, red and green peppers, cherry tomatos, spring onions, cucumber, radishes, squirt of lemon juice....can't remember what else I add, I think slices of apple or grapes is nice to give a sweet hint. I have added carrot and celery before just light things as I usually have that mix in spring and summer. I also tend to mix in peri peri sauce too

In pasta salads I'll have pasta ofcourse with egg, tuna and mushrooms can't think what else...lots of grinded black pepper, personally most likely to have that when its colder.

Edited March 28, 2009 by chrysalis_stage

[BookJumper]

I hate salad. However, when saladness cannot be avoided, I try to make it nice with [added to the salad in that order]:

 

- olive oil (quality stuff, not Tesco's own - go for bottles with pictures of Italian country-side with greenish bubbles at the bottom, that's the best)

- a pinch of salt

- some ground pepper

- halved cherry tomatoes

- the tiniest drizzle of balsamic vinegar to complement the tomatoes

- parmesan shavings (note: the real deal will not have a green "V" for vegetarian on it, 'cos hundreds of years of cheesemaking tradition say so)

 

Back at home, my mum makes the bitterest salad taste yummy with a home-made dressing made from milk and mustard - it's all creamy and tangy, mmm.

[Lucybird]

For salads with green stuff I usually get one of those packs that have loads of different lettece leaves in, and maybe some spinich, then chicken pieces (with or without flavour) and then I put a dressing on top (I like tesco's garlic one but not very fussy). I used to take them to afternoon lectures sometimes

[Kell]

I like to use baby spinach leaves as the base for my green salads and sprinkle them with sesame and fennel seeds. I also love to throw chunks of feta into it with basil, and chunkily chop up cucumber, carrot and radishes, with perhaps some roasted red peppers. Sometimes I'll chuck in a little chicken too with a dollop of home-made salsa just to liven things up and make it a bit zingy!

[Stephanie2008]

When I have salad its very basic. I have an iceberg lettuce with sweetner and vinegar on it (its really nice!). Then I have lots of red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and sometimes sweetcorn. I love salad (most kinds as long as there is no egg involved) and eat it with most things (especially during a healthy eating phase).

[~Andrea~]

We generally go for green salads as a side (as OH doesn't like tomatoes) We use lettuce (usually little gem, round or curly or a bag of mixed rockets, watercress and baby spinach). To that we just add cucumber and sometimes spring onions, then dress with an olive oil and balsamic or flavoured vinegar dressing (or just add lashings of heinz salad cream if we're being lazy - can you guess which one we have most often )

 

But I used to love my old pasta salad recipe (which I never get to make any more - OH is so fussy)

 

Cooked cooled pasta (spirals are great)

cubed cucumber

tinned sweetcorn (the sweetened variety)

grated carrot

sliced raw closed cup mushrooms

snipped up spring onions

salt

pepper

a pinch of dried mixed herbs

a great dollop of light mayonnaise

stir it all up.

It was about 40-50% pasta, 50-60% veg with pretty much equal quantities of all veg (except the spring onions which were just a scattering to taste)

 

I loved it with garlic bread and quiche, or even just on its own with some grated cheese stirred in and crunchy croutons on top.

[Kell]

I love to just chop loads of sticks of carrot and cucumber and have them with baby sweetcorn and dip them in humous.

[Kimmy619]

mmm, i love salad!

 

I have:

 

Lettuce

Cucumber

Tomatoes

Sweetcorm

Peppers

Beetroot

Red Onion

Feta (mmmmm)

and Cous Cous if I am feeling particularly creative!

[Ceinwenn]

I usually use:

Iceberg lettuce

baby spinach leaves

cold meat of some variety

walnuts

flax seeds

sesame seeds

sunflower seeds

grated carrots

cauliflower

broccoli

chunks of cheddar or mozzarella

slices of apples - adds a wonderful sweetness to the salad

& drizzle it with a strawberry vinagrette

[Scarlette]

I'm not that big on salad, because it's cold (I've never encountered warm salad before) and, unless it's fruit salad, it usually contains vegetables - which I'm not particularly fond of either... But I enjoy a nice big bowl of crated carrot (I firmly believe that carrots were mistakenly put in the vegetable category when veggies were created ), mixed with bits if pineapple and drenched in orange juice. That's a good salad.

[Nollaig]

I wish I liked salad, but I don't

[lexiepiper]

I'm pretty basic with my salad, just lettuce, onion, tomato, cucumber and grated cheese or if we're having pasta salad, we have pasta spirals, tuna and sweetcorn with a low fat thousand island dressing, it also tastes good with ham and cheese rather than tuna

[Angel]

I don't mind a nice salad. I usually use:

 

Mixed salad leaves (home grown if poss)

rocket

cucumber

toms

pepper - all colours

mushrooms

radish

celery

red onion

spring onions

 

Like others here I use pasta - the spiral variety with a variety of salad ingredients and ham / cheese

 

Cous cous salad is also nice

[Peacefield]

Salads are almost a daily thing for me, at least at lunch, just because it's the easist thing to have at work. I use a mixture of romaine hearts and spinach, and usually have in it feta (YUM), black olives, either chicken or tuna, carrots and these really good homemade croutons I make. Sometimes I'll have tiny ravioli pasta too if I'm feeling adventurous, and a hard-boiled egg but usually not at work since I don't want it to smell up the whole office, lol. For dressing I just have lemon juice, olive oil and S & P. I also grew up on and still love Tabouli salad, which is cracked wheat (similar to cous cous), parsley, tomatoes, green onions, lemon juice, olive oil and S & P. Very tasty.

[Talisman]

I live on salads and eat them every day - but then again, I am a vegetarian. Have been for 13 years now. Best thing I ever did (apart from meeting my partner of course).

 

I tend to use all the usual things - various different types of lettuce, plus watercress, rocket, endive, radishio etc, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, cucumber, grated carrot, radishes, tinned sweetcorn, sometimes cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli and then jazz it up with either

 

feta cheese and black olives

sun dried tomatoes

egg mayonnaise

various seeds and nuts

sometimes quorn slices

veggie scotch eggs from holland and barratt

various mixed beans and pulses

[baggiesfan]

i love a green salad, onion, lettuce, tomatoes, rocket spinach, etc i cant stand cucumber though so greek salads are not good for me,

[Chrissy]

Pine nuts are great to add texture to a salad, and little chunks of cheese.

After that it's anything else I have in the fridge/cupboard larder.

[lovelygirl18]

baby spinach with some romaine lettuce, strawberries, almonds and peanuts, raisins with balsamic vinaigrette dressing

[bethany725]

I like the salads that have the dried cranberries in there.. I think it's usually romaine lettuce, with some almonds, dried cranberries, feta or gorgonzola cheese. They're yummy! I tried to make one yesterday but can't find cranberries anywhere here.

[Rawr]

i want to make a potato salad soon, i don't know what to have it with though.

[BookBee8]

I wish I liked salad, but I don't

 

If I did, I'd be a lot healthier!

[bethany725]

Is it the lettuce you guys hate?

My dad HATES salad b/c he says lettuce has no flavor and a weird wet, crunchy texture.

[BookBee8]

Is it the lettuce you guys hate?

My dad HATES salad b/c he says lettuce has no flavor and a weird wet, crunchy texture.

 

I can't stand lettuce and your dad is spot on! But I don't really like cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, nuts...anything that goes into a salad. I do like onions actually, but that's not really a salad on its own!