So for all you Seinfeld followers, I’m sure you remember the episode where Jerry, Elaine and George have to go to a different diner, where Elaine is appalled to find that they don’t offer a big salad. To George, the idea of not being able to get a big salad is ridiculous, but to those of us who love the idea of getting an outrageous amount of lettuce with an abundant variety of toppings, we can completely empathize with Elaine.
Lately I have really fallen in love with the big salad. I never thought that I would be the type of person who could make a meal out of greenery, but I feel that once you conquer the art of salad making, you come to love and even crave this leafy goodness.
If you find that you feel as I did (perplexed and somewhat hesitant about eating a salad) here is what I have found to be the best way to go about creating the perfect big salad.
First, it’s important to find the type of lettuce you like. Iceberg is fine, but there are so many varieties out there, you should take the time to figure out what works best for your palate. I prefer a nice spring mix. Then it’s time to figure out what toppings work best for you. It’s important to add bulk and substance to your salad, making it feel more like a meal than a bland filler. My base toppings consist of tomatoes (either whole tomatoes cut into bite size pieces or grape tomatoes easy for the eating), sliced cucumbers, and sliced mushrooms. From there I let my mood take over. As long as you stick to veggies, you can pretty much make the salad as big as you want. Shredded carrots, baby corn, olives, they all add bulk and great flavor to your base. Then for crunch I like to add some type of nut, preferably slivered almond or dry roasted peanuts, and some croutons, yum! And lastly, the dressing…this is the icing on the salad “cake.” Obviously if you want to keep it healthy go for a good low fat or light dressing, but of course a nice vinaigrette is always good too. And lastly, like everything else salad needs to be seasoned, so I like to add some salt and pepper to top it all off. One little note is that most prepared dressing have a good amount of salt in them, which in that case says to me, just add pepper.
So if you haven’t faced your fears and learned to master the art of making the perfect big salad, I hope this will help you find the road to your own salad bliss.
