How to build a better salad

Aside from outfits, one other thing I am definitely great at building are fabulous salads!  I eat salad almost every day especially in summers! love everything about salad from the bright colors to the fresh taste and especially how they make my body feel.  Here are a few tips I follow to build the perfect salad.

Start with gorgeous, organic greens.  If you grow your own greens, congrats!  I am a garden lover and greens are the easiest to grow.  Check out my article on Gardening 101 if you are looking for an easy guide to getting started.  If you haven’t yet started your garden, stock up on greens at your local farmer’s market or supermarket.  Check to ensure you are buying organic  whenever possible.  This is your salad “foundation” so start with the highest quality ingredients.  My favorite basic greens are – Romain, leafy red and green lettuce, butter lettuce, arugula, kale and spinach.  Some additional greens that folks may not typically think of for a salad are beet greens, Swiss chard, mustard and dandelion greens.  Try mixing a little of this and a little of that to keep salads exciting while also rotating the greens to give your body different vital nutrients.  Always thoroughly wash greens with filtered water and either towel or spin dry. Some people opt out to soak in vinegar or natural veggie wash solutions to get all grime out.  I personally wash up all the greens in a big batch, then wrap in a paper towel and then a clean dishtowel before storing in the refrigerator.  That way, when I am hungry, my greens are ready to go!

Next up, add in the veggies.  Cool, crisp veggies add texture and crunch – think thinly sliced radish, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini and, of course, tomatoes and cucumbers.  I grow loads of tomatoes and few varieties of cucumbers – these two salad staples are always readily available in my fridge for salad building.  Veggies are also something easy to prep all at once by dicing and slicing to store in the fridge for salads and snacking!