Salads

 

Standing in line to buy beautiful food from an expensive deli/bakery, Brad and I agreed it would be great to have such things available to us on a daily basis. Salads are healthy, delicious, easy to make, and oh, so pretty.

We decided that if we just took the time to make 2 at a time and have them in our frig, ready to go, our lives would be much nicer. And we've been doing a fair job at keeping up with it too. Sometimes he makes them, sometimes I do. They are easy lunches and side dishes for dinner. Made with fresh wholesome ingredients. You can choose to limit or eliminate sodium, sugar, gluten, meat, whatever. They are ultimately flexible, add, take away, or change as much as you like.

Here's a list of our favorites:

• Mediterranean Barley-- cooked barley, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, lemon vinaigrette, garbanzo beans, feta, garlic, fresh parsley or oregano.
• Pesto Pea--peas, edamane, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts or pinenuts, pesto, parmensan on a bed of spinach.
• Mexican Corn and Bean--various types of beans, corn, diced red pepper, edamane, red onion, cilantro, lime juice.
• Tuscan Pasta--penne pasta, Spanish olives, currants, pine nuts, tomato/balsamic vinaigrette.
• Fingerlings with Pancetta--roasted fingerling potatoes, diced cooked pancetta, cherry tomatoes, frisee, fresh thyme, olive oil + red wine vinegar.
• Broccoli--slightly steamed broccoli florets, cubes of sharp white cheddar, sunflower seeds, golden raisins, red onion, sweet creamy dressing. (I ended up using a bottled Ceaser for this).
• Ginger Beets--cooked, diced beets, with ginger vinaigrette, and orange zest.
• Coleslaw--thinly sliced red & green cabbage, red/yellow/orange bell peppers, carrots, scallions, cilantro, peanuts/almonds/cashews, Asian vinaigrette (sesame oil, soy sauce, etc).
• Tuna--tuna, celery, jalapeño, red onion, scallions, capers, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano
• Roasted Beet--roasted beets, diced with toasted walnuts, feta, mint. (*My favorite).
• Gingered Carrot--shredded carrot, apples, pineapple, raisins, ginger syrup, walnuts or toasted almonds.

I haven't tried these yet, but I will soon:

• Citrus--slice tangerines, grapefruit, oranges with toasted coconut, pecans, mint, honey and lime juice.
• Cherry Chicken--equal amounts of shredded chicken and pitted bing cherries, then add celery, walnuts, yogurt, tarragon.