Incredible Edible

wedge salad

It's hot and humid and you don't feel like turning the stove on.  You want to enjoy the sunny evening and not be a slave to your kitchen.  Based on past experience, the idea of a salad may not excite you anymore.  However, with a few new combinations or ingredients, you can create a very tasty dish. 

Take advantage of local leafy greens and herbs and have fun adding different toppings for different flavours and textures (crunchy, soft, etc.).  Whether you're making a side salad or an entree, challenge yourself to pick and mix a new recipe.  As Jamie Oliver says "There are no rules, just start picking and mixing. Even using just 3 or 4 ingredients will give you a salad that rocks."

In Jamie's Food Revolution cookbook he provides a chart to guide you to pick a soft and a crunchy lettuce, herbs, veggies, cheese, and toppings such as seeds and nuts. You can see a visual of the chart on Jamie's Home Cooking Skills. 

Ingredients

• a soft ingredient
• a crunchy ingredient
• a herby ingredient
• a veg
• a cheese
• a topping
• your favourite dressing
• sea salt and black pepper

To make your pick-and-mix salad

1. Choose an ingredient from each

2. Wash and spin dry the soft and crunchy leaves
3. Pick the herby leaves off their stalks, discarding the stalks
4. Finely slice or peel the veg and shave, tear or crumble up the cheese
5. Toss everything together in a large bowl
6. Dress simply with your favourite salad dressing and season with a good pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, if needed 

7. Divide the salad between your serving bowls and sprinkle over your chosen topping

salad wrap

I also really like Jamie's 'chopped salads' and will throw together a variety of veggies and chop away.  We often dress our salads with some variation of olive oil, vinegar, spices, and pepper.  Recently at a friend's house for supper we had two beautiful salads (one from the host and one that we brought).  They were very different and equally delicious.  Think outside the salad bowl and try a lettuce wrap or a wedge salad.

Perhaps you even have a garden outside that can be your inspiration tonight or have a few fresh herbs left to experiment with.  As you know I think it's great to include children (and teens or partners) in meal planning or preparation - so ask them to choose a cheese, vegetable, and/or topping and see what you can create!

Happy eating!
Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com