How to Jazz Up Your Salads This Spring
You’ve probably heard the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But what about its title?
Salad Freak: Recipes to Feed a Healthy Obsession by Jess Damuck won me over before I ever got my hands on it. Like the author, I would consider myself a Salad Freak. If there’s a salad on the menu, I want it. If another entree looks good? I’ll add a side salad to it. Even at home, the fridge is full of salad kits.
Admittedly, otherwise, I make few salads entirely on my own. Most daunting to me is starting from scratch. But springtime is primetime for seasonal produce — and National Salad Month each May provides the perfect opportunity to grab a cookbook like Damuck’s or to put your own creativity on display on the plate, atop a big bed of leafy greens.
How to jazz up your salads this spring
Utilize in-season produce
Some of my favorites are in season in the spring: arugula, kale, lettuce, spinach; I’ll often combine two or more of these to mix up flavor and texture and to ensure I’m eliminating waste, or reducing it. (Admit it, we’ve all had that bag of lettuce in the refrigerator only to move it to the trash unopened.)
Head to the farmers market
Part of the problem can be boring ingredients. Farmers markets and local community-supported agriculture organizations are great places to provide a starting point with a mix of inspiration. Both can connect you with farmers and merchants who can make suggestions for something new, or at least help you to ensure that what you’re getting is fresh and, hopefully, sustainably sourced.
Add fruit
Besides veggies and greens, in-season fruits are a way to add a sweet, unexpected taste. With a poppyseed dressing, a spinach and strawberry salad is one of my favorites.
Choose ingredients that combine color, texture, shape, and flavor
Food groups aside, Damuck’s Salad Freak is separated into sections Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter that celebrate “the bounty of the season.” Choosing ingredients that combine color, texture, shape, and flavor, she’s included over 100 recipes that guarantee you never get bored. No, this isn’t an ad, just awe.
Enjoy salads all year long
For anyone unconvinced who looks at salads as more of an accompaniment or an afterthought, I get it. But with a variety of ingredients you can get excited about and enough substance to be satisfying, there’s something extra enjoyable about eating food that makes you feel good. And that’s a lesson that can go well beyond National Salad Month.