Elizabeth's Giant Salad Cheat Sheet

by Elizabeth

Although I am not one of those people who will ever complain about eating salad - I LOVE SALAD - I have noticed it can be one of those things (also see: sandwiches) that are a lot better when someone else makes it for you.  I once worked practically next door to a bagel store and I found myself eating their salads all the time - it was one of those places where you could walk along a counter and point to a staggering array of add ons - and that's when I realized the difference between my sad home attempts at delicious salads and what you get at a restaurant. It's not the lettuce - it's all the delicious extras. 

Some extra time at my boring office job combined with my deep love of the checklist (seriously, I have a mega crush on this guy) meant I had a lot of time to come up with an exhaustive list of all the good stuff you can combine (maybe not all at once) to make yourself a truly stupendous salad in the comfort of your very own home.  I try to have some, if not all, of this stuff on hand most of the time so I can just toss this together at a moment's notice, and I keep a print out of this list on my fridge so I can consult it when I'm feeling uninspired.  Viva la delicious salad!

Download Elizabeth's Giant Salad Cheat Sheet

Elizabeth's Giant Salad Cheat Sheet

GREENS
Romaine
Spinach
Spring Mix
Napa Cabbage
Mache
Iceberg Lettuce
Butter Lettuce
Shredded red or green cabbage

EXTRA VEGGIES
bell peppers
artichoke hearts
tomatoes
carrot shreds
snow peas
jicama
celery
peas
jicama
celery
peas (frozen and thawed)
sprouts
mushrooms
olives
cucumbers
roasted red peppers
sun dried tomatoes
canned corn
red onions
broccoli
cold cooked green beans
mint
cilantro
jalapeno

FRUIT
oranges
mandarin oranges (canned)
craisins
raisins
apples
pears
mangoes
pineapple bits
strawberries
avocado
pomegranate seeds
diced fresh peaches

PROTEIN
grilled chicken
poached egg
sliced turkey or ham
Parmesan cheese shavings
sunflower seeds
cheddar bits
asiago cheese
Mozzarella
beans of any kind
walnuts or pecans (plain, toasted, or spiced)
almond slices
tuna
feta
shrimp
hard boiled egg

MISC EXTRAS
sesame seeds
croutons
chinese noodles
rice noodles (cooked)
soba noodles

DRESSING
oil and vingar
Annie's raspberry vinaigrette
balsamic vinaigrette
maple vinaigrette
honey mustard
home made ranch
Kraft ceasar
Kraft italian
asian sesame dressing
peanut sauce

Did I miss anything you just can't live without on your salad?

{photo credit: Yours Truly}

Comments

[Leah]

I also love a good salad, but I HATE cutting up all the veggies beforehand. So much work compared to opening up a can of chili or pouring a bowl of cereal! (My laziness knows no limits.)

Our solution, then, is to prep a whole bunch of stuff at once, in one massive vegetable-cutting extravaganza, and then whenever we want a salad that week, all we have to do is assemble. Easy peasy.

[Whitney Bell Haggard]

My husband and I are also fans of the giant "well endowed" salad. We like to top it with many things including dates, crumbled goat cheese and Annie's Light Honey Mustard Vinaigrette.