Salad is a mainstay of our diets in summer, when all we want is fresh and cool food. However salad is delicious enjoyed all year round. Depending how you make it, serve salad as a side dish, a starter or a satisfying, complete meal. Make it for home or to grab and go – to a picnic, to the beach or to the office. And forget routine: the combination possibilities are endless! Here are a few to get you started.
A salad is a great way to try out new flavor and texture combinations. For a varied and balanced salad just build your own using the following components.
• Base: pick one or mix several: green leaves (lettuce, kale, arugula, spinach), chopped red or white cabbage, pasta, barley, or cooked grains, such as quinoa, bulgur, rice or faro.
• Raw or Cooked Vegetables: add color and flavor to your base by arranging some of the following on top: sliced avocados, grated carrots, thinly sliced onions, sliced or cubed peppers, cucumber, or zucchini. Sautéed mushrooms and caramelized roasted carrots, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes add extra umami zing.
• Optional Proteins: to serve as a main course, add some protein to your salad. Steamed or smoked salmon, shredded chicken, hard-boiled eggs or cheese are always good choices. For a meat-free salad choose tofu, beans or lentils.
• Added Fruit: fruit brings freshness and sweetness to a salad. Ideally, choose seasonal fruit, when it is the most flavorful. Mango pairs well with salmon and red berries with chicken. Consider adding peaches or plums to a fresh mozzarella salad. Dried fruit, such as apricot, figs, cranberries or raisins can be also used.
• Crunchy Toppings: use nuts, seeds, croutons or tortilla strips for a crunchier texture. To intensify the flavors, toast nuts and seeds.
• Other Toppings: olives, fresh herbs, sprouts, anchovies, capers or other pickles can be used to enrich a salad.
• Dressing: to finish, drizzle over your favorite dressing. Super easy to make with Thermomix®, choose the traditional Yogurt Dressing, the Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette for a fresh flavor or the Orange Curry Dressing for an exotic taste.
Get creative and mix and match ingredients with different textures, tastes, colors and temperatures, as desired. Serve your salad mixed in a bowl or a lunchbox, presented in layers in a jar or separate the ingredients on a tray for guests to pick and choose. Use serving rings to plate the salad ingredients elegantly. And for salads containing fresh green leaves, remember to add the dressing just before serving.
• Wash Lettuce and Other Ingredients: use the Varoma dish to wash vegetables and fruit under running water, then cover with the Varoma lid and shake well to remove excess water.
• Chop: chop soft vegetables, fruit or hard-boiled eggs 3-4 sec/speed 4; for hard vegetables, 3-4 sec/speed 5 should do the trick. To chop lettuce, place leaves in mixing bowl, cover with water (approx. 35 oz) and chop 10 sec/speed 4. Then drain through Varoma dish.
• Shred: place deboned, cooked meat without any sauce into mixing bowl and shred 4-5 sec//speed 4.
