The Salad Balance

Salads, much like anything else in the cooking world, is about balancing different flavors. As you plan your salad, you'll find there are more components than you realized before. 

First, there's no steps; it's more of a web plan than anything else. You could decide what lettuce you're in the mood for, then find out that the ingredients you want could overpower (or not hold up to) the flavor and texture of the leaf type you've chosen. Let me give you an example.

A few days ago, I decided to make a salad for dinner. I'm not talking about a side salad. No, more like a main entrée salad. At first I was thinking romaine lettuce as the base, but I quickly realized some of the foods in my fridge would pair better with spinach (which I also had). So I set up my prep-station.

I took out baby spinach, carrots, cucumber, red bell pepper, pinto beans, and great northern white beans. After putting the spinach into the salad bowl, I shaved the carrots and cucumber, and washed both kinds of beans (letting them drain in a colander). I seeded and chopped my red bell pepper, and threw it in the salad. Sliced and diced the carrots, and tossed those in there too. The cucumber I sliced down the middle lengthwise, then cut in larger chunks, and put those in the salad too. After giving the colander a few shakes to get the water completely out, I dumped the beans in. (Side note: Always rinse and drain canned beans. This will wash away the preservatives, therefore letting the beans taste better.)

 Give the salad a few tosses and turns with the salad utensils, separate into bowls, and serve. Now, since it is a salad, I usually have something on the side. This time I cubed jarlsberg and gouda cheese, and put it on a plate next to a bowl of mixed nuts. After placing a few different kinds of dressings out, I called my sister and dad to the table. 

 Let's just say the food was enjoyed.


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