COMFORT FOOD VS SALAD IN WINTERTIME
During the month of January, we all think of comfort food, hearty meals and soups! But at the same time, many of us like to pair down on our caloric intake and try and make some lighter meals where we can. And for me, that means throwing a salad together a few times per week! It’s so easy and fun to do! I raid my refrigerator for all sorts of vegetables and fruits, and my pantry for flavored oils and vinegar that go with the type of ingredients I put in the salad.
Salads that have cucumbers, peppers, hard boiled eggs, green olives, scallions or red onions cry out for ginger, honey, a white balsamic, avocado oil, and lemon! And then all you have to do is add a protein on top, and voila! I had Romaine in my fridge, so I started building my salad from there. I love using colorful peppers, and I had an orange and red pepper I needed to use. And to add a little salty to the mix, I pulled out some green olives! Now I know everyone doesn’t like green olives, my husband being one of them), so I cut them in big enough pieces that he can just pick them out! And believe it or not, green olives do have a lot of calories….more than a chocolate chip cookie! So I try to use them as flavor, but not eat a lot of them!
The salad dressing I made started with Capella’s Oil & Vinegar store’s Lemon Cucumber Balsamic Vinegar, and I added Avocado Oil, Dijon Mustard, Ginger Infused Simple Syrup (boiling 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water with fresh ginger), a little squeeze of fresh lemon, and a pinch of salt and pepper. I whisked that together and the mustard helped the dressing to emulsify (get thick), and I poured it all over the salad! I happened to have some chicken salad left over and I plopped that right on top! Perfect!
HOW TO DRESS A SALAD
I remember my father could dress a salad better than anyone I know! He had a knack for knowing exactly how much vinegar and oil to put on it and tossed it just right! Some say to put the oil on first so it sticks to the greens, and when you add the vinegar, it helps that to blend in nicely. I like to make my salad dressing separate, and whisk up a delicious concoction to pour over the salad, then toss gently! That way, the dressing is evenly dispersed throughout the greens and ingredients. When serving salad at a large party, I usually dress one or two types of salad so it is easy for my guests to plate it. There’s nothing more difficult than holding a plate in your hand and trying to dish out the salad then pour salad dressing on it!
Whether dressing one ingredients at a time, or tossing it with dressing ingredients all mixed together, the end result is just what the doctor ordered when you are trying to eat light! (Warning that some salad dressings are more calories than a burger, so don’t be fooled by thinking you’re having a light meal when it’s tossed in Bleu Cheese, Creamy Caesar or Ranch dressing)! If you do like a Bleu Cheese, Caesar or Ranch dressing, maybe an option is to order it on the side, and dab a forkful of salad into the dressing which will help to limit how much dressing you put all over your salad.
GO AHEAD AND RAID THE REFRIGERATOR FOR SALAD INGREDIENTS
But whatever way you enjoy a salad, if you’re making one at home, be creative! Look in your fridge and pantry and see what you have that you can throw in! You’d be surprised at what you find that can go together! And don’t be afraid to try blending some oils and vinegar together for a truly delicious salad experience! And the following day, you won’t feel so bad when you have that cheesy pepperoni pizza Stromboli! Everything in moderation! (Well, not everything!) But sensible foods can be balanced with a hearty meal or comfort food because I truly feel one of the pleasures in life is enjoying a decadent meal when I can, knowing I will take the next day easy with a healthy salad f some kind.
Until next time,
Let’s get cookin’
Madeline
"Raid the Refrigerator" Salad with Ginger Avocado Dressing
Equipment
- 1 Large Salad Bowl
- 1 Chef's Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Small Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
"Raid the Refrigerator" Salad
- 2 heads Romaine lettuce
- 1 orange or yellow pepper, cut in 1-inch pieces
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
- ⅓ cup red onion, thinly sliced or diced (about 4 - 5 very thing slices)
- 8 green olives, halved
- ½ cucumber, sliced
- ½ red pepper, diced
Ginger Avocado Salad Dressing
- 3 tbsps Avocado Oil
- 1 ½ tbsps Capella's Lemon Cucumber Balsamic Vinegar You can substitute White Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 tsps Ginger Infused Simple Syrup (Boil 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water with 10 pieces freshly sliced ginger) You can substitute honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch Kosher salt (¼ tsp)
- 1 pinch cracked black pepper (¼ tsp)
- chicken slices, chicken salad, sliced steak, or any other protein you'd like to top on the salad
Instructions
"Raid the Refrigerator" Salad
- Break up Romaine lettuce into large bite size pieces into a large salad bowl.
- Add remaining salad ingredients and gently toss together.
Ginger Avocado Salad Dressing
- Pour oil, vinegar, and ginger infused simple syrup in the bowl. Add Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Whisk ingredients until salad dressing is well blended and emulsified (starts to thicken).
- Pour salad dressing over salad and toss gently.
Notes
