Basic Vegetarian Cooking: Green Salad and Variations

Power Salads - Beyond Iceberg Lettuce

Forget those anemic salads consisting of iceberg lettuce, topped with a few limp tomato and cucumber slices. A real salad is vibrant, full of delicious ingredients and bursting with nutrition.

Come up with your own favorite salad recipe following these basic salad suggestions and top it off with our simple lemon and oil dressing.

Make your salad the main dish by serving with bread and a dollop of hummus, serve along with soup and sandwiches, or make it a side dish with whatever you're having for dinner.

Salad Ingredients:

Salad greens, rinsed and dried: Lettuce torn into bite sized pieces, baby spinach, arugula, mixed salad greens, etc.

Optional Ingredients:

• alfalfa sprouts, sunflower sprouts
• tomato slices or cherry tomatos
• cucumber slices
• avocado cut into 3/4" cubes
• shredded carrot
• shredded red cabbage
• bell pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
• olives, pitted, and sliced if desired
• sliced or diced onions
• sliced radishes
• chopped fresh herbs, whole basil leaves
• nuts: sunflower seeds, walnuts, or pecans
• dried cherries, cranberries or raisins
• sun dried tomatoes
• cooked sweet corn kernels
• crumbled feta cheese, soy cheese
• crumbled tofu
• cooked black beans, garbanzo beans or kidney beans
• Fried cubes of tempeh, tofu, etc

Lemon and Oil Dressing Ingredients:

• 2T fresh lemon juice
• 4 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 t dried basil
• 1/2 t dried marjoram
• 1/4 t dried thyme
• 1-2 cloves crushed garlic, if desired
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/8 t black pepper

Salad Directions:

1. Place salad greens in a bowl twice the size needed to hold the salad (this will make tossing it easier.)
2. Choose and prepare 5-9 other salad ingredients from the list, try to create a pleasing mix of tastes, colors and textures.
3. Arrange your chosen salad ingredients on top of the greens
4. If all the salad will be eaten right away, dress the salad with your dressing of choice.
5. If you will be storing some salad for later, dress the individual servings, since an undressed salad stores better.
6. Toss and serve.

Salad Dressing Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a small jar with a leak proof lid.
2. Close lid tightly and shake until dressing is well mixed.
3. Use to dress salads, cooked veggies, etc.
4. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

"To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomatist - the problem is entirely the same in both cases. To know how much oil one must mix with ones vinegar" - Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)