Every other evening I prep a nice salad for dinner. This is the COVID home weight survival menu. The gal loves the idea and I make a nice, meal-type salad that is not boring and drives the mouth to want to await the next menu. Variety is the key to moving salad nite menus forward in the home. There should be an attraction in the salad for every person dining. Let’s make a Chef’s Salad Nite-type salad (yours may vary).
3 ea baby sweet pickles (per plate)
4-6 slices of sweet pickled beets (per plate)
1.5 cups of mixed lettuces (per plate)
1/4 cup sliced Mushroom (per plate)
1/4 cup chopped or shredded cheese (your favorite type) (I use an asiago, parmesan, cheddar mix that I create)
3 ea jumbo pitted black olives (per plate)
1/4 cup of seasoned croutons (per plate)
2 ea thin slices of red onion (per plate)
2 ea slices of cold cut ham or turkey (sliced) (per plate)
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 cup favorite salad dressing
On a dinner plate place lettuce
Add red onion, croutons, and black olives
Drizzle the salad dressing over the lettuce mix
Top the salad with the remaining ingredients to build that food design that you are presenting to your guests.
Serve with warm crusty bread or baguette.
Great Additions to Salad Nite
Whole Grains
Couscous, Farro, Quinoa, Barley, Rice
Seeds
Pepitas, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds
Dried Fruit
Cranberries, Cherries, Raisins, Mango, Blueberries
Vegetarian Protein
Kidney beans, Black beans, Garbanzo beans,
Great northern beans, Edamame, Tofu
Seafood
Tuna, Salmon, Crab Cakes, Shrimp, Scallops
Meat
Chicken, Turkey, Steak, Ham, Bacon
-A great way to use up leftovers!-
Fruit
Pears, Grapes, Mandarin oranges, Apples, Avocado, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Pomegranate Arils
-Thinly sliced, segmented, or in dressings-
Nuts
Almonds, Pecans, Walnuts, Peanuts, Pine nuts
-Try them toasted, sliced, slivered, raw or candied-
Cheese
Goat cheese, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Feta, Gorgonzola
-Crumbled, grated, sliced-
Fresh Herbs
Basil, Mint, Chives, Dill, Parsley
Non-Traditional Dressings
Salsa, hummus, guacamole, pureed fruit
Other
Croutons, Crispy noodles, Water chesnuts
Adding nuts and avocado with just the right dressing makes for an outstanding meal!
You always have great suggestions…..keep them coming