Mastering the Art of the Salad

Among my talents in life, the two I am probably the most proud of are: 1) my ability to flawlessly parallel park (seriously, I wish that was a profession) and 2) my salad making expertise. Everyone has their niche, and these are mine. Trust me, I could go on about my parallel parking, but I will focus on how I have mastered the art of making salads. I have decided that it really is an art, but, don't worry--it is totally attainable if you are not at pro level yet. Here's a little breakdown of what a baller salad needs.

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-Protein

One of the most common things that people say to me about being a vegan is, "but how do you get your protein?". There are plenty of ways to get protein outside of meat, my favorite being beans. Beans add a lot of heartiness to a vegan salad and make it much more filling. My favorite for salads is chickpeas, but you really can use any kind--kidney, black, cannelini, fava, etc. Another way that I like to add protein to a salad is by cooking a veggie burger, then cutting it up and putting it in the salad. I found some really great masala veggie burgers at Trader Joe's, and I put it on my salad for lunch today and it was great. You can also season and cook tofu and put it right on your next salad.

-Crunch

Every good salad needs a little crunch. As much as I love veggies and beans, I would not want to eat a whole salad that was completely soft. One of my favorite ways to add crunch, as well as protein, is nuts. Nuts are high in fat, so it is important to make sure that you aren't going overboard. But a sprinkling on top of your salad with add great texture and enhance the flavor. I love using shelled sunflower seeds, chopped cashews, and walnuts. If you want to get fancy you can roast the nuts with spices beforehand. Other good sources of crunch are crumbled pita chips or tortilla strips.

-Herbs

I have discovered recently that adding fresh herbs in with your lettuce adds so much to a salad. You can actually buy spring mix with herbs already blended in, but it would be very simple to get your own and add them in. I like dill, cilantro, and parsley.

-Fruit

I love adding fruit to my salad, but not so much so that it becomes a fruit salad. I usually don't add more than one kind of fruit. I recently went through a phase with blood oranges, which made my salads really summery and sweet. I also love grapes, and I have experimented with strawberries too. Let your imagination run wild.

-Avocado

I feel that no good vegan salad is complete without a little avocado. It is creamy and delicious, and makes my salads so much more filling. It is also a great source of healthy fat. I almost never make a salad without some!

-Veggies

You can pretty much go nuts with what kinds of vegetables go in your salad. I usually pick all of my other parts first, and then pick veggies that complement them well (aka whatever is in my fridge). I love cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, broccoli, and pepper.

-Dressing

Finding the perfect dressing can be tricky. I have experimented a lot, and I still find that my favorite is a simple vinaigrette. It couldn't be easier to make one--combine a little oil + vinegar + lemon + seasoning. Voila! You could also use any fruit juice instead of lemon (try blood orange!). I have also found some good store bought ones, such as hummus dressing and red pepper vinaigrette. My advice is just keep experimenting and keep a lot of different options on hand.

-Lettuce
It is important to keep it fresh with your lettuce--literally. I hate wilted lettuce, so I always make sure that I buy good quality organic. I also like to keep it fresh by mixing it up. My favorite is spring mix, but as I said I either buy the herb blend or add my own. I also love arugula and spinach, and often mix the two together. Another recent favorite is butter leaf lettuce--it looks a little like romaine but has a lot more flavor. I must say that I am a bit of a lettuce snob and I hate romaine and ice berg, but if that's your thing then don't be ashamed!

-Mystery Ingredient

I like to add a wild card ingredient that is a little out of the ordinary to make my salad special. I know this sounds vague, but you can really add anything that catches your eye that is a little extra special. Today I added some sun dried tomatoes which gave so much extra flavor.  I have also added quinoa (cooked), roasted potatoes, roasted edamame, sweet potato, and pomegranate. 

I hope this helps you vamp up your next salad! Next up: mastering the art of the parallel park!