Skip all the narrative if you just want a recipe. I am afraid I just began musing.......
The very first thing I was allowed to do in the kitchen was help make salads. I love salads and would often have salad instead of dessert. My mother-in-law thought that was "cute." Much later I found out the the Europeans often serve the salad as a last course. BTW I have been to Europe 5 times now and have yet had anyone serve me a salad after the main course. But people swear it does happen. Anyway, salads are so versatile. Add some meat and it becomes a healthy main dish. Use fruits and it's almost a dessert. But most often it's a side dish. I was a little surprised that some people who have stayed with us over a long period of time are intrigued that I serve a salad with EVERY dinner. I don't know exactly when that started because as a kid growing up I don't remember a salad at every dinner early on. I think when my mom first went on Weight Watchers she began the nightly salads. I know that at my grandma's we had salads sometimes. My two favorites were nopales and a tongue and beet concoction. In Mexico as a teenager, I was sent out to forage for greens and wild tomatoes to put in our salads at our beach house. I picked a lot of purslane, a kind of watercrest and found parsley and cilantro growing wild in a long abandoned huerta. I have made a salad at every dinner as long as I have been married because in those early years it helped stretch the dollar.
Anyway, all this intro to say that I have a niece who is pregnant and she has asked me to help her create healthy low budget meals. She says she loves salads and that began the cavalcade of memories. I decided to begin with salads first. Any raw veggie can be substituted for any veggie I have here. Likewise you can delete a veggie you don't have or like. An exceptions that come to mind is eggplant. I have seen just about every other veggie I can think of eaten raw but never eggplant. To convert a dinner salad to a main dish salad just add a protein. Usually for me that's leftover meat from the previous night's supper. Or, I open and drain a can of tuna. I have found myself adding canned beans lately. Especially garbanzo and fava. I think I read somewhere how good beans are for us dieters.
A note about salad dressings. I have made salad dressings from very unusual ingredients. Sometimes I use juices and broths. Recently, I used Lemon Crystal Light. Always I use vinegars and or citrus fruits Sometimes I use yogurt and mustard. I have developed a little formula;.
1 part acid (fruit juices, citrus or vinegars) + 1/2 part oil (or mayo, yogurt, broth ...) + herbs + salt (kosher) + a dash of something sweet (honey, sugar, agave syrup, stevia, jams, jellies etc.) fresh ground pepper + a surprise umpapah. I have learned to make a dressing stay emulsified by using a little mustard.
Now, you just let your imagination and taste buds lead you. Salads.....YUMMMM!
Simple Dinner Salad (Makes 4 big servings)
Dressing (This will make more than what you'll need. Save the rest and refrigerate it.)
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp mustard
2/3 of a cup of oil
1 garlic clove mashed to a pulp (Lay the clove under the flat side of a knife and whack it several times. Be aware that the garlic will fly if you whack too hard! )
1/2 tsp salt and fresh ground pepper
pick any or all of the following crushed dried herbs; 1/4 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp tarragon 1/4 tsp parsley 1/4 tsp marjoram (don't use if you use oregano...tastes almost the same) 1/4 tsp. mint 1/4 tsp dill 1/4 tsp thyme
If you use a fresh herb double the amount and chop very fine.
1) Pour the first 2 ingredients into a bowl or into a jar and whisk or shake vigorously.
2) Add the mustard and whisk or shake.
3) Add the oil and shake or whisk.
4) Once you have decide on your herbs, in a separate little bowl, mix them well with the garlic, salt and pepper. Use the fork and toss the mixture around until well incorporated.
5) Now add this herb mixture to the jar or bowl and whisk or shake vigorously.
6) Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
1/2 head of romaine lettuce (washed and spun dry)
1 tomato diced (Don't seed it. All the good stuff is in the gel like part)
1 cucumber diced ( or a couple of the little one or 1/2 of an English seedless If you have trouble digesting the seeds of a regular cucumber, just scoop them out with a spoon.)
1/2 green, red, orange, yellow bell peppers diced (any combo)
1 stalk of celery washed and diced
1 carrot washed and diced
1/4 dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries, etc.) Use this for the garnish.
1) Put all the above in a large bowl and toss.
2) I like to "dress" each individual plate/bowl with dressing. That way I can save the leftover greens for
next day's salad. I use 1 heaping generous TBSP per bowl and toss with my fork right in each bowl. Garnish with the dried fruit.
3) If you are sure that you will eat all the salad, pour 1/2 of the amount of dressing around the inside rim of the salad bowl. Then toss gently. Garnish with the dried fruit.
To make this a main dish salad. Add (leftover) salmon, tuna, steak or a grilled chicken breast. Or of course you can make some meat, chicken or fish and let it cool while you put the rest of the salad together.
Sometimes I make the same salad the next day and add hard boiled eggs cut into slices with cubed up cheese. See, so simple....
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