Adams Media - The 50 Best Salad Recipes. Tasty, Fresh, and Easy to Make!

The 50 Best
Salad Recipes Tasty, fresh, and easy to make! Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc. Avon, Massachusetts Contents Introduction Crispy greens, juicy fruits, tangy beans, or creamy pastas; theres something special about every type of salad. Unlike fully cooked dishes, salads have a wonderful way of retaining the distinct flavor of each ingredient. You can taste every green in a cool garden salad and each addition in a warm potato salad. Whether youre an experienced chef or just learning how to cook, salads have a way of waking up your taste buds and your creativity. Fresh salads also offer something rare in modern life, they contain ingredients you can recognize and pronounce.

As long as you stick with produce and all-natural toppings, you can create anything from an appetizer to an entre without including a single mysterious additive in the meal. Considering the easy preparation and numerous health benefits, its surprising that more people dont eat a salad at least once a day. Part of the problem is due to a feeling that salads lack variety or imagination, which couldnt be farther from the truth. A pre-packaged tossed salad from the store may be a dull meal to eat every day, but with a little guidance and a few minutes of work, anyone can learn how to take a salad from simple to spectacular. Think of salads as the ultimate culinary exploration and let the ingredients inspire you. Any ingredient you can consume in raw form can be put into a salad, as well as many foods that require cooking.

All four food groups work in a salad, which means you can go wild at the grocery store. These recipes are 50 perfect opportunities to grab a cheese youve always wanted to try, discover a new dressing to bring out the flavor of carrots, or find a use for the exotic fruits youve seen in the produce aisle. Enjoy! Basic Italian Vinaigrette This versatile recipe works with so many different types of salads, it can easily become your go-to dressing. With chicken broth instead of oil for a base, its a healthy option! Serves 6 Ingredients cup low-sodium chicken broth 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon lemon juice teaspoon fresh chives, minced teaspoon fresh dill, minced teaspoon sodium-free Italian seasoning teaspoon black pepper, finely ground

1. Whisk together the broth, vinegar, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Mix well. Mix well. Mix well.

   Pour dressing into a lidded container and chill in fridge. Shake well before each use.

Per Serving
Calories: 3	Fat: 0 g
Protein: 0 g	Sodium: 46 mg
Fiber: 0 g	Carbohydrate: 1 g

Creamy Wasabi Dressing The spiciness in this dressing wakes it up and gives any salad a lift! It will only keep about a week in the refrigerator, so cut the recipe in half if you dont think youll be eating a lot of salad. Serves 28 Ingredients 12 ounces soft silken tofu 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon wasabi paste teaspoon garlic paste teaspoon mustard seed, ground cup rice wine vinegar cup canola oil

1. Place the tofu, soy sauce, wasabi paste, garlic paste, and mustard seed in a blender. Add half of the vinegar and half the oil to the blender.
2. Slowly feed the remaining vinegar and oil into the blender.
3. Slowly feed the remaining vinegar and oil into the blender.

   Blend on low until thoroughly mixed. Pour dressing into a lidded bottle and refrigerate until needed. Shake dressing well before each use.

Per Serving
Calories: 23	Fat: 2 g
Protein: 1 g	Sodium: 49 mg
Fiber: 0 g	Carbohydrate: 0 g

Make Your Own Garlic Paste Garlic paste is a combination of mashed garlic and liquid. Its a popular culinary shortcut because it makes it easy to blend the garlic with other ingredients. To make your own, crush and mince 4 raw or roasted garlic cloves.

Mix the garlic with 1 tablespoon of warm water, mashing any large garlic chunks until the paste is smooth. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week. Balsamic Vinaigrette A classic dressing, this is an excellent recipe to keep in your repertoire. Its easy to create so theres no need to purchase it! Serves 16 Ingredients cup balsamic vinegar cup olive oil 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard teaspoon salt teaspoon black pepper, ground teaspoon dried basil teaspoon dried parsley Whisk together all ingredients with a fork until well combined.

Per Serving
Calories: 94	Fat: 10 g
Protein: 0 g	Sodium: 38 mg
Fiber: 0 g	Carbohydrate: 1 g

Its Easy Being Green Dressing This fresh and creamy dressing works on salads and also as a dipping sauce for sandwiches or as a drizzle over steamed vegetables. Fresh herbs account for its bright flavor.

Serves 6 Ingredients cup mayonnaise cup heavy cream cup sour cream 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, minced 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon zest teaspoon seasoned salt teaspoon black pepper, ground

1. Combine all the ingredients in a nonreactive bowl and whisk until well blended. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
2. Pour dressing into lidded container and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake well before using.

Per Serving
Calories: 178	Fat: 19g
Protein: 1 g	Sodium: 149 mg
Fiber: 0 g	Carbohydrate: 1.5 g

Little Herbs Make a Big Difference Fresh herbs add a unique flavor to the traditional salad. A 2-tablespoon serving of basil, chives, or parsley has just a trace of carbs; chervil has 2g of carbs; and fennel has 1 g.

Apple Spinach Salad Spinach greens provide a salad base that has a denser flavor and more nutrients packed in, like iron, protein, and fiber. Serves 6 Ingredients 2 cups baby spinach leaves, torn 1 cup romaine lettuce, torn 1 cup Washington apple, chopped cup red onion, diced cup cucumber, peeled and diced cup walnuts, chopped cup Caesar salad dressing cup mini seasoned croutons

1. Toss spinach, lettuce, apples, onion, cucumber, and walnuts together in a large salad bowl.
2. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well to mix and coat. Garnish with croutons and serve immediately.

Per Serving
Calories: 93	Fat: 5 g
Protein: 2 g	Sodium: 204 mg
Fiber: 1.5 g	Carbohydrate: 9 g

Pesto-Mesclun Salad Garlicky basil pesto combines with balsamic vinegar to create a unique dressing for this healthy green salad. Its the perfect backdrop for the addition of protein, so add a chopped grilled chicken and make this a meal.

Serves 4 Ingredients 1 cup broccoli florets 1 cup cauliflower florets cup English cucumber, peeled and sliced cup celery, chopped cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing 1 tablespoon pesto 2 cups mixed baby greens, torn

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