Do you remember what salads were like when you were a kid? It was always a pretty standard affair: iceberg lettuce, some tomatoes and cucumbers, maybe some diced carrots. Sometimes we went crazy and tossed in some radishes. Cheese? Maybe some shredded cheddar, if you were lucky. Protein? Well there were always those little ham cubes at the Sizzler salad bar. Dressing? You pretty much had three choices: ranch, thousand island, or italian. No wonder I didn't really get that excited about salads.
These days, it seems like 'anything goes' in a salad. Different varieties of greens, all imaginable veggies, lots of fruit, savory cheeses, smoky meats, toasted nuts, beans, avocados, and myriad dressings and salsas to toss them with... There are so many salad options now it would be hard to get bored!
My mother in law is an absolute salad artist. She makes the most delectable and interesting salads, and when I ask her what's in them, she usually just replies "a little of this, a little of that." I seriously think she makes it up as she goes along. I don't really have the creativity to do that. I need to follow a salad ingredient list.
We had this salad for dinner the other night and it was fabulous. All four of us chowed down, and then Joel and Elliot and I all packed the leftovers in our lunch the next day. I thought I'd share the mix in case you lack my salad creativity as well!
Tortellini Salad
package of tortellinis, cooked and cooled
spring mixed greens
dried cranberries
feta cheese
walnuts
cherry tomatoes
lightly tossed in balsamic vinaigrette
Do you have a favorite salad combo you love? Please share, because I'm always looking for new ideas!
6 comments:
That one sounds yummy. I'll have to try it. Here's one of my favorites:
spinach lettuce
mandarine oranges
gala apples thinly sliced
wonton noodles
feta cheese
and strawberry vinegarette dressing.
Just add as much of each as you want.
That does sound like a delicious salad! Right now I've been on a sun dried tomato kick. I love feta cheese on salad and I make my own Balsamic Vinagrette. It's divine!
MMMMMMMMMMMMM...this sounds great!
Ooooh, I have a FABULOUS one that's all Mexican-y with black beans, avocado, mango, cilantro, chili-lime dressing, etc. I don't have it to hand at the moment, but I plan to do a 'Favorite Things' post in the very near future, so I'll be sure to put it on there for you!
I'm doing the Lost Dutchman 10k!
You know, I never thought of it before, but maybe that's why I never liked salads as a kid - I'm not a big fan of iceberg lettuce and that's pretty much all they were ever made out of.
Your recipe sounds totally yummy (clicking and saving to my file).
I have a recipe for a Chinese chicken salad that is yummy with sliced almonds and teriyaki chicken. I'll get it off the computer and e-mail it to you when I get home if you like.
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