How To Jazz Up Any Side Salad

a side salad is instrumental to a great meal, but it’s done wrong all too often.  it’s easy to just throw some carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes on top of some iceberg…but we can and need to do better. 

the best salads are made with a variety of colors and textures.

when you think red, you should think: tomatoes (grape, cherry, heirloom, roma, beefsteak), red peppers, radicchio,  beets, cherries, apples, and pears.  orange/yellows: orange and yellow bell peppers, corn, carrots, butternut squash.  blue/purple: currants, raisins, olives and purple onions.  and finally green: artichokes, green beans, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cucumbers, green apples, celery, green onions, green peppers, peas, and spinach.  as far as lettuce goes, branch out.  try green leaf, boston leaf lettuce, arugula, red leaf, romaine, endive, and frise.

to add different textures try dried fruit, nuts, shredded cheese, and croutons, in addition to the mixture of soft and crunchy veggies.

let’s build a few:

side salad 1 – green leaf lettuce, carrots, beets, corn, and pecans.
side salad 2 – arugula, pears, blue cheese, craisins and walnuts.
side salad 3 – spinach, butternut squash, dried cherries, parmesan, and almonds.

now you try…

Sweet Corn Salad

it’s august, and it’s also the season for corn.  you can find it in plentiful amounts in the grocery store, but preferably at the farm stand.  well once you’ve had enough boiled, you need another solution.  luckily for me, ina garten saved me last year with her fresh corn salad.  since then i’ve been making my own adaptation.

Sweet Corn Salad

5 ears of corn, shucked
1/2 c small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1/4 c orange pepper, diced
1/2 c baby arugula
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

place the corn in a large pot of water, and turn the heat up to high.  once the water has come to a boil turn off the corn and let it sit for 10 minutes.  then drain the water and allow the corn to cool on the cutting board.  once the corn is cool, cut the kernels off and place in a bowl.

then add the red onions, orange pepper, arugula, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  serve the salad cold or at room temperature.

my tips:

• feel free to add any vegetables that you would add to a lettuce salad.
• looks are important.  not only do different colors look good together, they also mean you are getting a wide variety of nutrients.
• if you are not familiar with arugula, make sure you get acquainted.  it’s a peppery tasting type of lettuce, and to me it is the most undervalued lettuce.