Salads Your Way

 

Low Calorie Salad Ideas

Salads of any type provide a vast array of an impressive display of ingredients nestled into one hardy dish.  Salads composed of a wide variety of dishes fall into various categories including green salads, vegetable salads, salads made with pasta, legumes, and mixed salads incorporating seafood, poultry, meats or fruit salad varieties.  Whether you are craving something fresh and crunchy, hearty and satisfying it’s fun to customize your favorite salad dish. Most salads are traditionally served cold although some such as the German potato salad is served hot.  The restorative powers of eating green salads have been celebrated since antiquity, also known as the classical era comprising the interwoven civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome spanning from 8th century BC to the 5th century AD. The earliest salads consisted of herbs and wild greens seasoned with salt made from the first vegetable foods available in the spring of each year and acted as a tonic after the cold winter months. 

When dining, green salads are usually served at the beginning of a meal before the entrée or after the main course is served.  Most leafy vegetables that can be eaten raw can be used to create a masterpiece packed full of veggies including all varieties of lettuces, garden cress, endive, cabbage, watercress, escarole, romaine, spinach, kale, arugula, and fresh herbs, thyme, basil, mint, dill, parsley, chives, tarragon layer flavors of any salad mix.  Other vegetables prepared cooked or raw peppers, beets, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes may garnish the green salad customizing it your way.  In France a piece of dry bread, a crusty baguette rubbed with garlic is an essential part of all meals and is sometimes tossed with the salad mix to season it. The bread is not meant to be eaten as a separate dish but as an accompaniment to the salad.  The Caesar salad was invented in Tijuana Mexico in the 1920’s as a green salad consisting of  romaine lettuce as the base seasoned with dressing of pounded anchovies, lemon juice, egg yolk, and Parmesan cheese then was garnished with croutons.

Classic vegetable salads may be sauced or marinated with a mixture or various mixed vegetables.  Lemon vinaigrette is a bright dressing with a citrus flavor that often includes diced white wine vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, freshly squeezed lemon, and a drizzle of honey for extra sweetness. Salads dressed with vinaigrette are typically made from a mixture of oil and vinegar.  It is a popular choice that offers a tangy flavor to any salad dish that compliments a wide variety of fresh ingredients including vegetables, lean proteins like chicken beef, tuna, egg salad and fish options.  Salads are commonly based on a bed of fresh lettuce mix, tomatoes, green beans, beets, cucumbers, Cole Slaw, made from shredded chopped cabbage mixed with mayonnaise, vinegar as a base dressing.  Some Middle Eastern salads are  puréed or finely chopped cucumbers or chickpeas or eggplants, mixed with yogurt or tahini.  Salad russe, is a wide variety of fresh or cooked vegetables and potatoes bound with mayonnaise and sometimes served with Hors d'oeuvres.

Fantastic salads are quick fix nutritious meals perfect for any occasion. Salads of this type usually take the place of hot or cold vegetable side dishes.  Similar salads are often based on rice, potatoes, pasta, bulgur (cracked wheat), beans, or other starches.  The addition of cooked meats, seafood, poultry, or cheese turns any basic salad into an Entrée.  The Julineen salad is popular in the United States as a green salad garnished with stripes of cooked chicken, cheese, beef, and plenty of fresh vegetables.  The salad nicoise of France combines lettuce with potatoes, olives, green beans, tuna, anchovies, and tomatoes lightly dressed with a vinaigrette made with olive oil and vinegar.  Dressing salads your way using low calorie dressings from Primal Kitchen dressings which are known for using avocado oil as a key ingredient while avoiding artificial sweeteners, soy seeds and canola oils,  Primal kitchen dressings feature healthy ingredients and is keto friendly offering a variety of flavors including Caesar, Ranch, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Italian Vinaigrette,  Green Goddess, Greek, Vinaigrette, Vegan Ranch, Oil & Vinegar.  Drizzle, sizzle or dress salads your way using versatile  Primal kitchen sauces, dressings and marinades as a dipping sauce on the side. 

Cheers! 

Patricia Lynn 

Images Courtesy of nadianb at AdobeStock