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Not Running => Food => Topic started by: ecodork on June 28, 2013, 08:16:45 AM

Title: Salad toppings
Post by: ecodork on June 28, 2013, 08:16:45 AM
What are some of your favorite salad toppings? I'm trying to think of ways to make salads more interesting/entertaining.

We usually have lettuce, carrots, sunflower seeds, and raisins as the base. Other things that get thrown in, depending on availability, are celery, croutons, feta, blue cheese, roasted beets. If we're looking for some protein, we might add a sliced hard-boiled egg.

What fun ingredients do you like?
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: wherestheportojohn on June 28, 2013, 08:23:06 AM
Mmmm, garden salads!
My typical toppings, most, but not all at once :)....
 broccoli, baby peppers, baby cukes, slivered (toasted almonds), cooked/chilled lentils, black beans, shaved Parmesan cheese, home-grown sprouts, pepperoncini.
I also like to toss in a handful of fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, etc.
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: mango on June 28, 2013, 08:23:26 AM
a big scoop of potato salad

eta: on top of mixed greens

Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: wherestheportojohn on June 28, 2013, 09:36:46 AM
D'oh....forgot: little grape tomatoes, all colors, straight off the plant. :) num!
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: cgraz on June 28, 2013, 09:52:09 AM
My signature salad is topped with goat cheese crumbles, craisins, and pecans. With balsamic dressing. And optional grilled chicken.

I am truly addicted to it.
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: ecodork on June 28, 2013, 10:52:47 AM
These are all tasty suggestions! I'm thinking some grilled cheese (like haloumi or skillet cheese), would be a nice addition too.
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: nadra24 on June 28, 2013, 10:58:53 AM
My garden salads are very veggie-heavy, with about 2 cups of lettuce and then 2 cups of chopped veggies such as shredded carrots, cucumbers, red bell peppers, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, or green peas.  I also always have some protein, usually garbanzo or black beans but sometimes diced ham, shredded chicken, or a scoop of cottage cheese.  I like hard cooked eggs on my salads, but I rarely make those at home so I only get them if I'm at a salad bar.  Sometimes I add something for crunch, either croutons or sunflower seeds if I have them around.  That's for a salad that I eat as a main course.  For side salads, I usually just do the lettuce/carrots/cucumbers/tomatoes.

Other combos that are good:

Spinach, strawberries, feta, slivered almonds with balsamic vinaigrette or poppyseed dressing

Green leaf lettuce, black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and tortilla strips with salsa and a squeeze of lime for dressing
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: Run Amok on June 28, 2013, 11:27:47 AM
I tend to like a simpler salad. Not everything has to go in the bow all the time. Sometimes I skip the lettuce.

Roasted pears, roasted hazlenuts and goat cheese.
Avocado, grapefruit, shaved fennel.
cuke, tomato, avocado- dressed with lemon juice, garlic, a little olive oil
Just mixed greens, a light lemon vin, and a little chevre
finely chopped romaine, cuke, green pepper, feta- dressed with lime and olive oil. If I'm feeing fancy I throw in some mint,dill, and green onion.
 
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: witchypoo on June 28, 2013, 11:51:55 AM
roasted sweet potato or butternut squash or beet
goat cheese or manchego or parmesan or ricotta salata
grapefruit or lemon or orange sections
raisins or dried cranberries or dried apricots or dried figs
grapes or strawberries or blueberries or cherries
thinly sliced red onion
walnuts or pecans or pine nuts or macadamias

toss w/spinach or arugula or bibb or kale or dandelion greens

Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: merigayle on June 28, 2013, 01:00:33 PM
diced avocado
salsa

particularly mango salsa!!!

sunflower seeds are good for crunch.
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: seattlegirl on June 28, 2013, 11:30:17 PM
I made this one last night, and it was awesome!  Arugula with oranges, red onions, gorgonzola, and homemade dressing.

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I8ECIjqUvhs/UZJD9phIxMI/AAAAAAAALYw/HIKRNQd1ZBc/s1600/Mixed-baby-greens-with-oranges-red-onion-gorgonzola.jpg)


When I am having mixed greens, my usual toppings are carrots, sugar snap peas, grape tomatoes, often also lowfat cottage cheese.

Other things I like are craisins, sunflower seeds, hard-boiled egg, tuna, kidney beans, shelled cooked peas, celery.
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: triciaflower on June 29, 2013, 12:26:44 AM
I make a copycat version of an addicting kale salad I get at our grocery store fresh foods counter.

Kale, pumpkin seeds, craisins, slivered almonds in a deessing made with the juice of fresh oranges, crystallized ginger, shallots, soy sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.

It's best made a day ahead so the kale can soften and the flavors can meld.

Another salad I like is: fresh greens, avocado, grilled chicken, marinated artichokes, tomatoes in a lemon juice/olive oil dressing.
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: witchypoo on June 29, 2013, 03:10:07 AM
today was grilled peaches and goat cheese
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: Courtney on July 07, 2013, 10:21:13 PM
I can't get into fruit on salads.  I don't know why.

But a salad without feta or goat cheese is a salad not worth eating, IMHO.  :D 

Sun dried tomatoes are a fave of mine right now. 

I love grilled onions on salads, too.
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: ecodork on July 08, 2013, 09:13:11 AM
This weekend we had a bunch of watermelon leftover so we mixed with some feta, basil, cherry tomatoes from the garden and drizzled it with reduced balsamic vinegar. Yum!
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: omega lambda on July 12, 2013, 01:23:43 PM
I can't get into fruit on salads. I don't know why.

But a salad without feta or goat cheese is a salad not worth eating, IMHO.  :D 

Sun dried tomatoes are a fave of mine right now. 

I love grilled onions on salads, too.

And I LOVE fruit on salad!  I like to add apples, pears, oranges, craisins, and raisins.  Not all at once though!  I also love toasted pine nuts on a salad.
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: caribougrrl on July 22, 2013, 11:48:13 AM
I was thinking about this thread today when one of my coworkers was complaining that the salad she bought for lunch had too much lettuce.  I said, surely the point of salad is the lettuce, and she said, no way, the point of salad is the toppings.

Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: Magic Microbe on July 22, 2013, 02:23:12 PM
I was thinking about this thread today when one of my coworkers was complaining that the salad she bought for lunch had too much lettuce.  I said, surely the point of salad is the lettuce, and she said, no way, the point of salad is the toppings.



I agree with your coworker. I hate when salads consist mostly of lettuce.
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: onawhim on July 22, 2013, 02:25:42 PM
I was thinking about this thread today when one of my coworkers was complaining that the salad she bought for lunch had too much lettuce.  I said, surely the point of salad is the lettuce, and she said, no way, the point of salad is the toppings.

I guess the lettuce is kind of a topping delivery system.  Like leafy toast  :D
Title: Salad toppings
Post by: OldBaldHippie on July 22, 2013, 11:37:32 PM
A taco...
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: caribougrrl on July 23, 2013, 06:11:15 AM
Like leafy toast  :D

:D
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: MikoftheWat on July 25, 2013, 04:12:57 PM
Sardines, pistachios, crashing, and eggs.  Poached eggs are awesome on salad too.
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: BobM59 on July 25, 2013, 04:22:23 PM
Cgraz's salad sounds like a slice of heaven to me.  Walnuts also work great.

Last night I made one with feta, strawberries, blueberries, and walnuts.  Totally burgled the recipe from the Longhorn, but screw'em; it was delicious.
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: Natasha on August 01, 2013, 11:26:33 AM
Sardines, pistachios, crashing, and eggs.  Poached eggs are awesome on salad too.

What's crashing?

I love poached eggs on salad too. With some arugula.
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: wombleatwimbledon on August 02, 2013, 05:35:16 AM
mmmm, this thread inspired me to go google some salad ideas to try. I thought I'd share them:

Mango and avocado salad with sweet chilli dressing

Roast lamb with warm lentil and pumpkin salad

Rocket, pear and prosciutto salad

Watermelon, feta and mint salad
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: caribougrrl on August 02, 2013, 07:17:19 AM
I had a salad with grilled duck breast, grilled pear & pine nuts on it yesterday at a restaurant.  It made me feel very urban-professional.

Today I have brought in a container of lettuce from the garden; slugs and garden dirt removed, but very authentically full of holes.  A mix of three leaf lettuces.  I will put leftover grilled chicken on it and call it a salad.  If I'm lucky, I still have some oil & vinegar kicking around the staff kitchen.  It sounds disappointing compared to yesterday.  My GF told me if I ate urban-professional every day (a) we would be bankrupt and (b) I might start putting on airs.  So earnest and authentic it is...
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: Run Amok on June 18, 2015, 12:23:51 PM
It's salad season!

Last night I made a mexican inspired salad. Black beans, fresh corn, jicama, red bell pepper, a jalapeno, some watermelon, and a local smoked cheddar; topped with honey/lime/oregano dressing.

I've also been obsessed with this combo. We add buratta for good measure. But it's fine as written as well. The slightly sweet peaches, crunchy jicama and sharp/sweet/spicy dressing plus pistachios is just to die for: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/peach-and-pistachio-salad (http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/peach-and-pistachio-salad)
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: diablita on June 18, 2015, 10:06:29 PM
those sound fabulous
Title: Re: Salad toppings
Post by: nadra24 on June 22, 2015, 01:51:56 AM
I made one this week with green leaf lettuce, asparagus, strawberries, and salmon and dressed it with vinaigrette made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard. Yum.