Category: Lettuce (Red, Green, Romaine, Butter)

I happened to have some leftover pita bread that sparked the inspiration for this salad. This salad is a bit of a springy, non-traditional spin on a Fattoush salad. If you don’t have pita, you could make some toasty croutons instead. It’s a bright and crunchy salad with lots of flavor and texture.   ... Read more »

This marinated and baked tofu is a great way to prep tofu ahead of time. It can be stored in the fridge and added to salads, wraps, stir-fries, noodle dishes or wherever you can think to use it.   Serves 3-4  ... Read more »

This is a perfectly simple, summer salad.... Read more »

Salads are superb templates. Sometimes all you need is a few greens lightly dressed. But sometimes a slightly more substantial green salad with crunch, a little sweetness, and maybe a little spice is in order.  In the winter you might make this heartier one.   You will need to taste and adjust your version to balance the tart and sweet and crunch as ingredients vary widely. Add a pinch of sugar if your dried fruit is quite tart.... Read more »

Adding fresh berries, strawberries in this case, to a green salad adds sweetness and acidity. Just a handful of ingredients come together into a light, spring salad.... Read more »

[caption id="attachment_17822" align="aligncenter" width="660"] I took the photo before I added the orange slices fyi. . .[/caption] Chicories, the robust, slightly bitter winter lettuces are delicious with dried and/or fresh fruit (particularly citrus) and nuts.... Read more »

This the simplest of salads. The crunch from toasted walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, toasted sunflower, pumpkin seeds or some crispy bread crumbs, is what makes it so good.... Read more »

In late summer I often roast and process peppers of various kinds together with a few tomatillos into a flavorful sauce. I thinned out this sauce to make a dressing for this template of a salad. Feel free to use a typical vinaigrette instead and feel free to change up the beans, vegetables, to suit your needs. You could by all means add bacon too!... Read more »

This is such a bright, sweet and crunchy salad for mid-summer. Use any blue cheese  you like or substitute feta or fresh goat cheese.  ... Read more »

This salad came about on a hot evening when I didn't feel like neatly rolling salad rolls but had most of the ingredients I typically use to make salad rolls. Instead of dressing the salad in a peanut sauce (which I would normally make to accompany proper salad rolls) I just added roasted peanuts to the salad and made a lighter/brighter dressing.  Don't be put off by the handful of steps--it comes together fairly quickly. This salad is begging for variations: add snap peas, blanched green beans or edamame, cooked shrimp or chicken, diced cucumber, even halved cherry tomatoes or sliced red peppers. Have fun with it and use what you have on hand and use fewer herbs if you don't have the volume I suggest. Shiso would be a delicious addition here as well.... Read more »

I love the short season of shelling peas. If it gets too hot and they stay on the vine too long they get starchy but when they're just right they are tender and sweet and enhance anything on the plate.   You can substitute goat cheese or feta for the fresh mozzarella.... Read more »

  I talk about vinaigrettes and suggestions for keeping salads interesting here but having a good, basic vinaigrette on hand merits its own post.     I keep my Dressing Jar in the fridge, ready for any lettuces, vegetables--raw or cooked--or grains or beans that might need enlivening. It literally is often the key to quickly turning something into a meal.   You can make this version or use a different vinegar, oil, herb(s), etc. I typically make a batch and then continue topping it off, as needed, for 2 weeks or so and then use it up, clean the jar and start over. Dressing ingredients (vinegars, oils) keep very well so you can do this less often too.   Add fresh tarragon or dill, chives, basil, parsley or most any tender herb to offer some variety when using it.  ... Read more »

Especially in the spring when the lettuces are buttery soft and tender I eat large quantities of this kind of salad--a simple vinaigrette, maybe a sliced scallion and little crumbled cheese and mounds of fresh lettuces.  ... Read more »

This dressing is good on a variety of salads; simply with greens and toasted seeds or with a more robust version of cucumbers, fresh corn kernels, sweet peppers and even cooked potatoes or broccoli. You really can use most anything!  ... Read more »

I put this salad together on a whim after I splurged on a beautiful Dungeness crab. I had both fava beans and shelling peas on hand but either or is fabulous too. And you could substitute canned Oregon Albacore for the crab or bay shrimp or omit entirely or add chopped hardboiled egg or no additional protein at all. Adapt to your tastes/what you have on hand. ... Read more »

  What to do with basil before the tomatoes are ripe? This salad, for one thing. I was in a hurry when I made this and really wanted to add toasted sunflower seeds but had none toasted. I’ve always toasted them in the oven but didn’t have enough time to do so. I toasted them in my cast iron skillet with just a little olive oil and salt. I had the heat on pretty high and they almost got too dark but I caught them, tossed them around a bit and reduced the temperature and toasted a bit more—in total probably just for about 5 minutes. They were smoky and delicious.   Serves 4  ... Read more »

The lettuces and arugula are so tender in the spring that they need nothing but a light vinaigrette to be perfect. You can also add a few sliced strawberries to make it even more delicious.... Read more »

  --slightly adapted from The Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler   This recipe caught my attention when I first read this book, years ago. I come back to the book periodically for general inspiration. Tamar’s writing just pulls me in and makes me want to cook and feel so creative and frugal and fun.   And I think this soup could feed six people for about $5 or less . . . if frugality is on your mind. I was skeptical about the dish but came away satisfied. You can’t skip the butter though—it’s essential!... Read more »

Keep those beautiful heads from going slimy and brown and enjoy a variety of salads throughout the week!   Washing and storing: Wash all your lettuce when you get it. Wash in plenty of cold water and then lay it out in a more-or-less single layer on cotton dishtowels. Gently roll up the towel(s) and and store in an unsealed plastic bag. It will keep well for 5 -6 days.   Crunchy additions: Toasted sunflower, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts: Pumpkin seeds take just a few minutes to toast in a dry skillet and sunflower seeds toast best in a 325 degree oven with some salt and olive oil for 8-10 until golden and toasty smelling. Walnuts and hazelnuts toast well in an oven—no salt or oil needed—as well.   If you have a slice or two of crusty bread that needs using you can toast it and then tear it into little pieces and add it your salad for a little chew and heft.   Pickled additions: I keep a jar of thinly sliced (red) onions covered in red wine vinegar in the fridge at all times. A few slices of these pickled onions brightens up salads and many other dish too. [caption id="attachment_4089" align="alignright" width="224"] Onions in red wine vinegar--a bright addition to salads.[/caption]   I sometimes chop up some kimchi and add it to salads, especially ones that include cooked beans. This salad of raw collard greens benefits from lightly pickled apples slices--both fruity and pickled!   Fruity additions: Add chopped sweet cherries, peaches, strawberries or blueberries to your green salads. If you have a little goat cheese or feta, that would be a good combo as well.... Read more »

I had a green salad dressed with a light peanut sauce at Smallwares (a restaurant in NE Portland) a few years ago which inspired me to create this one. I’ve never tossed a green salad with this kind of dressing and was delighted to discover the combination.   This is another CSA Heavy Hitter recipe in that you can adapt the salad and sauce ingredients to suit your taste/what you have in the fridge and pantry. You can make the sauce spicier, you can add different vegetables, and so on and so forth.... Read more »