Dress Salads for Success

Salads don’t have to be a bore. With vegetables at the core, salads can add a big helping of vitamins and minerals, to your menu.

Remember this fashion rule? After you finish dressing, remove one piece of jewelry or an accessory. The same can be said when adding dressing to a salad. Less is more. Don’t drown the salad’s wonderful flavors with too much dressing.

Good eating is about creating an irresistible combination of the season’s freshest veggies and fruits. The secret is to dress lightly with tangy vinaigrettes and light creamy options for the perfect warm-weather supper. These are some simple ideas to dress salads at their best.

* Go Green.

Start by building on a base of the greenest, leafiest ingredients, which are great sources of vitamin C, and also plenty of that “foliage” vitamin — folate. The greens are the base for building a better salad. The calories add up with the dressings and add-ons.

* Don’t Be Afraid of Color.

Spike your salad with your own colorful combinations — tomatoes, carrots, cabbages, spinach and bell peppers. These salad staples pack a punch of vitamin A such as beta carotene.

* Accessorize.

Add a taste blast with a combination of citrus rind, fresh minced garlic, fruit slices or berries, finely crumbled cheeses or nuts.

* Add Eye Appeal.

Don’t forget healthy salad add-ons like sliced almonds, dried cherries, cranberries, golden raisins and chow mien noodles. You can also please your palate with, pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, beets, tortilla chip strips and fresh herbs.

* All Dressed Up.

Over-dressing is too much of a good thing — dress for success, not extra calories.

* Simple is Best.

Oil and vinegar is the best lower-calorie option, and flavored vinegars perk up and vary the taste. Fresh herbs give your salad a homemade, not store-bought, flavor. Making fresh dressing is as easy as a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Try this vinaigrette recipe fthat’s perfect for salads:

Raspberry Chive Vinaigrette
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup raspberry vinegar
¼ cup fresh raspberries
1 teaspoon fresh chives, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. sugar
½ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients in jar and shake well.

Originally published at https://www.akwa.be.