Everyday Salads

I bring or offer to bring salads wherever we go. If it were up to me, my minivan would have the following features:

• A built-in car seat that converts as kids grow, can be removed later, and frees me from the guilt of buckling it in wrong.
• A little composting bin for orange peels, apple cores, and compostable coffee cups.
• Hell. While we're at it, a spigot for coffee.
• A long mechanical arm that reaches back to pick Loretta's lip gloss off the floor when she drops it or takes away a toy that's being fought over.
• And yes, a hollowed-out, covered, and secure slot for my favorite salad bowl so I can take it everywhere without worrying about spillage.

In the sixteen years we've lived in Seattle, I wish I had tallied up all the potlucks we've been to. I've spent many hours pulling over to check on a full pot of soup sloshing around or balancing a cake on my lap while Yancey takes corners. But I usually bring green salads because:

• I almost always have the ingredients to make them.
• They're easy to transport.
• I am never, ever without ingredients to make salad dressing.
• Salad isn't hummus (ubiquitous at every Puget Sound gathering).
• My salads are better than anyone else's.

Did I really just say that? It's not true. Lots of my friends can make salads as good as mine, but they learned from me. There. How's that? My salads aren't fancy, but I've learned lots of tricks throughout the years that make them deliciously foolproof every time. Here is yet another bulleted list. I think it might be long. Don't let that scare you. I just have lots of opinions.

• I'm a fan of the pre-washed cello bags of greens. They make lots of things easier. But they're expensive. If you're bringing unwashed greens home, wash them right away, lay them out on a length of paper towel, roll the towel up, and put the whole bundle in a ziploc bag. They'll stay fresh for well over a week and be ready for salad-making whenever you are.
• My basic dressing is kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, one part white or red vinegar or lemon juice, and three parts extra virgin olive oil. So that, I might add some dijon or fresh herbs. Or maybe garlic or smoked paprika, depending on what kind of salad I'm making. If you want to make a creamy dressing, add a teaspoon of mayo (it doesn't take much) and you'll get a beautifully clingy dressing.
• When my herbs are growing, they all go in (except sage). Right now, I am putting big, soft mint leaves in everything. I use them like I would a lettuce leaf. Same with celery leaves, beet tops.
• Color! I work as hard to make my salads colorful as I do to make them tasty.
• Toasted nuts are almost always in my salads--walnuts, almonds, pecans. If you're allergic to nuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas, or homemade croutons.
• This one might be most important. I try to think of a forkful of salad and being able to get every ingredient in one bite. That means no giant, thick rounds of carrot or big wheels of cucumber. So I'll use a vegetable peeler to shave carrot into the salad or cut my cucumber into matchsticks. You want everything cut to manageable--not necessarily uniform--size. 
• The bowl you pick is important, too. Try to use something shallow that just fits the ingredients so you can see everything and it looks abundant. A little pile of chopped vegetables in the bottom of a narrow bowl never made anyone feel like eating healthy.
• Protein. Not always, but most the time there's something else in there--cheese, hard boiled egg, chickpeas. And if I'm really feeling ambitious or it's a main dish salad, maybe bacon, bits of crispy chorizo, or some roasted chicken or smoked salmon. 
• Toss everything in your dressing right before serving, using your hands and mixing very gently. This will coat everything and ensure that you don't use too much dressing.

We're entering salad season, which I'm thrilled about. Let's get to it!

Everyday Salad
For the salad pictured, use about 6 cups of washed greens to line a shallow bowl. Whatever ingredients you add, keep a tiny bit separate so you can garnish the top. Add a handful of toasted walnuts, a couple handfuls of mint leaves, half a thinly sliced red pepper. With a vegetable peeler, shave one large, peeled carrot and some parmesan into the greens. Toss gently with your dressing (see above) and garnish with a few of your reserved ingredients. Happy Spring!

Comments

[bethany]

sarah. there is so much i love about you. someone else might read this post and think you are mighty full of yourself. i read it and don't think that...because i KNOW it's true! i think you make just about everything better than anyone else. i still have the little handwritten cookbook journal you gave me where you detail possible salad combinations and dressings. i often channel your spirit when throw greens in a bowl. thank you for being the inspiration.

[Lynn M]

Sarah, you share a huge gift with the world! A long time ago, I read Sue Bender's Plain and Simple, her story of living for a time immersed in an Amish family, and having the magic of simple, hard work be glorified and celebrated and polished! You, Sarah, exude a passion for serving beautiful, delicious, and nutritious food in such warm community, and it's catching! We'll all continue to celebrate the full-spectrum salads we build and present to our loved ones, and hear your voice echoing in the toasting of the almonds, or the shaving of the cheese, or the whisking of the dressing! Much love and appreciation!

[Rhubarb and Venison]

"Salad isn't hummus." LOL! Love this post. Be warned: if you ever find yourself at a North Dakota potluck, you're going to be pretty disappointed by what passes as "salad" is these parts (crumbled Oreo cookies in Cool Whip, anyone?).

[Julie]

My thoughts exactly on green salads! Yum!...and that built-in adjustable car seat, and compost bin and coffee spigot in the car and..

[cate]

Sarah, thank you for the suggestion to add mayo to the basic dressing. I did this yesterday to excellent effect. My basic is close to yours--Using an old wooden mortar and pestle, I pulverized minced garlic in Himalayan salt, fresh-ground pepper, fresh herbs from the garden (cilantro and, because overgrown, oregano), then mixed in some wine vinegar and first cold-pressed olive oil (not-for-cooking oil), and finally added a dollop of mayo. Yum. The only hard part is being careful not to use the salad as an excuse to sop up dressing with bread.

[Kamille@Redeeming_table]

what a wonderful post and I'm glad you take credit for your insight into salad making skills. You could throw down Bobby Flay:) I like the tip on washing & keeping the salad greens--thanks!

[Joella]

I would love to eat any salad you ever have made, but wanted to comment on something to add to your minivan dream list: one of those glass panel dividers they have in limos. I dream of this often when my gang morphs from cute to obnoxious in 6.4 seconds. I thought you might want one too.

[Kimberly]

Awesome post! You're a great writer, very engaging and funny! Love your salad tips- and I wholeheartedly agree about the importance of the bowl!!

[Denise @ Creative Kitchen]

Loved the tip about washing all your greens and then rolling them up. I've heard this, but was always worried that it would make my lettuce go bad faster. I frequently buy organic romaine heads and it stays good for about a week or more...they are wedged in 3 heads to a bag. Would you recommend placing in one of those "green" food keeper bags?

Love your blog....and am now your newest subscriber!!

Denise @ Creative Kitchen