200 Salads
Digital Edition 1.0
Text © 2012 Melissa Barlow and Stephanie Ashcraft
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review.
Gibbs Smith
P.O. Box 667
Layton, Utah 84041
Orders: 1.800.835.4993
www.gibbs-smith.com
ISBN: 978-1-4236-2469-1
For all my little ones—Izzie, Tate, and Emmy. —M.B.
To my mother and hero, who trusted me in the kitchen at a young age and survived raising eight children who turned out fairly amazing due to all her hard work and dedication. —S.A.
Table of Contents
Green-leaf salads should be assembled close to serving time. Dressings should be added right before serving to prevent salads from wilting.
To reduce calories, use low-fat or nonfat products.
Dip sliced, diced, or chopped pears, apples, and bananas in lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown.
Don’t store tomatoes in the refrigerator. They last longer and taste fresher when stored on the kitchen counter out of direct sunlight. Do not wash tomatoes until ready to serve.
Bigger bowls work best for evenly tossing salads. To toss a salad, add ingredients, place a lid on the bowl, and give the bowl a few gentle shakes.
To remove dirt and sand, soak leafy greens in ice-cold water right after they are brought home from the store. Lay greens over paper towels to dry. Place dry greens in an airtight bag lined with a paper towel and store in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator until ready to serve. Use these cleaned greens within five days to assure freshness,
Salad spinners work well to clean lettuce. Simply tear your lettuce into bite-size pieces and drop into the spinner. Run cool water over the top of the torn lettuce, place the lid on the spinner, and spin at will. Your lettuce will come out clean and dry.
Thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before peeling and cutting them. Berries and fruits grown on trees should not be washed until you are ready to use them.
Cut cherry tomatoes and grapes in half before adding them to salads. Remember, bite-size pieces are easier for everyone to eat.
To keep cooked pastas from sticking together while cooling, sprinkle with a little olive oil and toss to coat. Or, once pasta has cooled, splash with some cold water and it will easily separate.
Fresh heads of lettuce last longer than bagged, ready-to-serve lettuce.
Most green-leaf salads are more aesthetically pleasing as individual servings instead of a large serving bowl.
When cooking meats to use in salads, don’t be afraid to season them well—even if the recipe doesn’t call for it. Adding a few different spices can give your meat and salad a more robust flavor.
Food Cooperatives, Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), and Farmers Markets are great ways to get fresh produce in season at a bargain price.