Salads are indispensable, but they look dull most of time. However, don’t worry, with a little trick you can make them full of colors and tempting like never before.
The trick
The fruit salad can be made more tempting by adding some cherries, strawberries and pomegranates seeds. You can add other vegetables and fruits too.
Instead of just using traditional ingredients such as lettuce, spinach leaves, leejs, spigs of fresh dill and escarole, you can use greens; these can include celery leaves, parsley or other kind of greens from vegetables.
You can also experiment with your vegetables. Most of you must have used radish, carrots, mushrooms, celery and sometimes scallions in your salads. Now be a bit adventurous and add chunks of cooked squash, corn kernels, chilled peas, beet slices, baked eggplant, or turnip bits, along with kidney beans, asparagus, broccoli or cauliflower sprigs, red, green, or yellow peppers, and other seasonal produce to give your salad the desired punch. Use traditional veggies in untraditional ways, such as cooking carrots instead of eating them raw, or adding chunks of baked sweet potato instead of traditional potato salad.
Add some sizzling meat chunks; they may include sausages (chicken, meat and pork). You may go for beef or use slices, cubes, or barbequed dressings.
Make use of fruits during summer time, you may toss in a cup of cubed and de-seeded watermelon, fresh, juicy cantaloupe, or honeydew or honey rock melon. Add seedless or halved grapes, cherry tomatoes, sliced bananas, strawberries, blackberries, or even blueberries. Apple or peach slices, raisins, cherry halves, or kiwi sections add a new type of zest or texture to many salads. Pineapple, orange, and mango chunks add a tropical flavor for a special treat.
Enrich your salads with sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts or pecans, or sprinkle some cashew powder with some cashews. You can go for cheese, tofu and Mexican red chilies.
Fast and easy salad recipe
30oz cooked Lima beans, drained
10 oz chestnut, peeled and chopped
5 oz cooked barley, drained
2 cloves of elephant garlic, finely crushed
2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
1 orange, peeled, depipped and pureed
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp chervil, finely chopped
5 oz cheese grated
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper powder
10 green lettuce leaves to serve
Method
1. In a food processor combine garlic, orange juice, orange puree, parsley, chervil, sunflower oil, salt and black pepper.
2. In a large bowl combine lima beans, chestnuts, barley and cheese. Add dressings and mix well.
3. Spoon the mixture onto the lettuce leaves.
4. Garnish with desired fruits, coriander leaves and do not forget to add sweet potatoes (peeled, cooked and fried).
5. Before serving refrigerate the salad for about 1/2 an hour.
Via: Marthastewart
