We’re always looking for a healthy new salad to add to our repertoire. So when we find one we totally love, well, we can’t help but shout about from the rooftops. And that’s what’s about to happen: Read below for 9 of our ultimate faves.
1. Fuji Apple Salad
Apple + bacon + pecan + arugula is by no means a new combination. Honestly, it’s up there with butternut squash + sage + brown butter in the “things that go together” culinary pantheon. But adding this maple yogurt dressing to the equation elevates this taste sensation in an exciting way. It’s creamy, it’s slightly sweet, and I don’t really know what to compare it to. Ranch? Not quite, but pinning it down isn’t so important. What isimportant is that it tastes awesome, and you should try it. My. New. Favorite. Salad. Period.
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1. In a pan over medium high heat, cook the bacon until just crisp, then set the bacon aside on a dish lined with a paper towel. 2. Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a lidded container, then shake to blend. 3. In a big bowl, toss the bacon, apples, pecans, and arugula with as much dressing as you like, then serve. (Serves 4)
2. Green Goddess Salad
Green Goddess Dressing, though considered a token of late 1970’s cuisine, is actually from the 1920’s — you can tell from of the abundance of tarragon, anchovies, and mayonnaise. What I love about this dressing is that it tastes so fresh and so unexpected. It’s savory, but filled with sweet herbs; it’s creamy, but cut by sharp vinegar. I like the idea of combining this dressing with crisp romaine, creamy avocado, and zesty tomatoes. It’s a modern pairing for this classic condiment.
Ingredients
| For the dressing: 1 anchovy fillet 1/4 green onion, finely chopped 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped 1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon, finely chopped 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar 1 tablespoon water | For the salad: 1 ripe avocado, sliced 2 ripe zebra tomatoes, cut into wedges 1 green onion, thinly sliced 1 radish, sliced very thinly 2 heads baby romaine (or butter lettuce), bottom removed and leaves pulled apart |
(serves 2-4) 1. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a food processor. Puree for 30 seconds, until silky and smooth. Pour into a pourer and set aside. 2. Place all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl. 3. Drizzle with as much dressing as you like, and gently mix the ingredients together. Enjoy! For more classic recipes, head to The Kitchy Kitchen.
3. Fattoush Salad
When you’re short on time, this simple Middle Eastern recipe that’s fresh, bright, and filled with great flavor and texture will come to your rescue.
A traditional Levantine salad, Fattoush usually includes stale pita and sumac, a tart spice. But in the interest of keeping it light, and not having to hunt down a potentially hard-to-find ingredient like sumac, I opted for a simple interpretation that’s fresh, bright, and filled with great flavor and texture. If you want a more authentic experience, add the aforementioned spice and dried or fried pita chips.
Ingredients 1 large Persian or Japanese cucumber, halved and sliced 1/8 inch thick 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes 1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped 1/4 cup mint, roughly chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil At only two steps, this one’s fairly foolproof. Combine all of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Then, let it sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.
4. Tahini Citrus Salad
Simple ingredients taste absolutely decadent in this ultra-fresh and bright Middle Eastern salad.
Simple ingredients taste absolutely decadent in this recipe from Claire Thomas of The Kitchy Kitchen.
I love creamy dressings. They can take a meh salad and make it feel practically decadent — ok, not really, but definitely more substantive at least. Tahini, for the uninitiated, is a sesame purée that you’ll find in a lot of Middle Eastern sauces (such as hummus). It’s delicious, and adds a lovely warmth and creaminess to anything it’s added to. For this ultra-fresh and bright summer salad, I thought the tahini would be a nice counterpoint to the citrus flavors. Enjoy!
Ingredients
SERVES: For 2 to 4
2 oranges, supremed
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 avocados, chopped
2 tablespoons finely sliced green onion
5 ounces arugula
tahini citrus dressing (recipe below)
Directions
To supreme your oranges, peel them, chop off the tops and bottoms, and then slice out little segments between each white membrane. Squeeze the remaining orange pulp in your hands to get the 2 tablespoons of orange juice you need for the dressing. Combine everything in a large bowl. Drizzle on as much dressing you like, toss, and serve.
Tahini Citrus Dressing
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Mix everything together and hold in a lidded container until ready to use.
5. Quinoa Salad
This totally customizable and satisfying grain-based meal is a kitchen-sink style salad: chock-full of everything. It’s a delicious balance of flavors, and can be made without the quinoa as a kale salad, or with farro, couscous, or brown rice instead.
This is a kitchen-sink style salad–meaning, it’s chock-full of everything. It’s based off of my favorite salad at the always inspiring LA restaurant Superba Snack Bar, but I adapted it into a hearty, make-ahead quinoa salad that’s easy to scale up or down. It’s a delicious balance of flavors, and can be made without the quinoa as a kale salad, or with farro, cous cous, or brown rice instead.
Ingredients 2 cups kale leaves, ribs removed, cut 1/4 inch thin 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil 4 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 cup uncooked) 1/3 cup golden raisins 1/3 cup pinenuts, toasted 1/2 cup mint leaves, torn with your hands 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cup parmiggiano, finely grated salt and pepper to taste 1. To slice the kale, cut out the ribs, then stack the leaves. 2. Roll the leaves up like a cigar and cut across in 1/4 inch slices. You should have long ribbons. Then, chop across width-wise a few times so they’re not super long. 3. Combine kale, balsamic, and olive oil in a large bowl and massage the leaves for at least 3 minutes, until wilted and bright green (they should be tender and easily chewed). 4. Add the remaining ingredients, salt and pepper to taste, and mix thoroughly. Add more olive oil and balsamic if necessary.
6.Steak & Cotija Salad
A delicious grilled salad that packs a flavor punch, this recipe features grilling red onion, grilled romaine, cotija cheese, and a cilantro lime vinaigrette.
I love the flavor grilling brings to a dish, so with this salad I like to grill not only the steak, but practically everything else in there. Grilling red onion brings out its natural sweetness, while grilling romaine adds depth to the crisp, sweet lettuce, and the cotija cheese and cilantro lime vinaigrette add a nice kick to the whole thing.
| Ingredients | For salad: |
| 2 lbs flank steak 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons pepper 2 teaspoons cumin 1 teaspoons chili powder 3 garlic cloves, halved 2 tablespoons olive oil | 2 large romaine heads, halved 1 red onion, cut into 1/2 inch slices 1 large cucumber, sliced 1/2 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled |
1. Make little incisions all over the steak and fill with pieces of garlic. Mix together the spices, salt, and pepper, and rub all over steak. Let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes, then put it on the counter to take of the chill for 20 minutes. 2. Coat steak with olive oil. Grill over high heat for 8 minutes per side for steak that’s cooked medium. 3.Take off heat and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. 4. While the steak is resting, sprinkle the red onion and romaine in olive oil and grill to desired doneness. 5. Mix everything thing together with cotija and vinaigrette.
7. Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad
Simple, fresh, and perfect for you Brussels sprouts lovers, this salad is an easy spin on a classic. If you really want to push it over the top and serve this as a main, add a poached egg and breadcrumbs. Enjoy!
Ingredients (Salad)
NOTE: Serves 2
4 cups Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon chives
2 teaspoons parsley, finely chopped
3 tablespoons dressing
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano
Ingredients (Dressing)
1 egg
Juice of one lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
2 oil-packed anchovies
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Directions
To make the dressing, whisk everything together in a bowl and set aside (the anchovies will dissolve as you whisk).
To make the salad, shave the Brussels sprouts with a mandolin or very thinly slice with a knife, crossways, so instead of slices of Brussels sprouts, you get looser shavings. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix lightly with your hands. Garnish with more grated parm.
8. Brussels Sprouts Salad with Sweet Chili Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1 quart canola or vegetable oil 20 Brussels spouts leaves (you want 6 cups total) 1 shallot, thinly sliced 2 carrots, peeled and julienned (thinly sliced into matchsticks) 1/4 cup green onion, sliced 1/8 red cabbage, shredded (3 cups total)
for the vinaigrette: 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar 1/2 lime, juiced 3 tablespoons canola oil 1/4 teaspoon salt
(serves four)
1. In a deep pan, heat up the oil to 350F. The oil should come up about an inch, with at least six inches of pan above it. 2. To pull the leaves off of the sprouts, chop off the bottom nub, and start plucking away. Go as far as you can, it’s ok if you can’t finish off the whole sprout. The large green leaves are the best for frying. 3. Add the Brussels sprouts leaves (careful, it’ll spit a lot!) and fry until just crisp, but still a little green, about 30 seconds. You’ll have to do this in batches, and once fried, discard to a plate covered with a paper towel. 4. Fry the shallots until golden brown (2-3 minutes) and discard to the plate as well. 5. For the vinaigrette, combine the ingredients in a small container with a lid, and shake until combined. 6. Combine all ingredients, pour vinaigrette over the salad and mix. Enjoy!
9. Bibb Lettuce with Roasted Garlic and Black Pepper Buttermilk Dressing
A beautifully flavorful dressing brightens up crisp veggies in this springtime salad.
Ingredients 3 whole heads of bibb lettuce 3 cups buttermilk 1 cup sour cream 1 head of roasted garlic 4 tablespoons black pepper ½ cup chopped cilantro 2 each whole jalapeño peppers roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped 1 cup reggiano parmesan 1 cup lemon juice ¼ sliced cucumber Pumpkin seeds to garnish Feta cheese to garnish Sugar snap peas to garnish (serves 6) 1. Begin by slowly roasting the whole heads of garlic in the oven by placing the garlic on top of some kosher salt and roasting in the oven for approximately 3 and ½ hours at 250 degrees. 2. When the garlic is done roasting set aside to cool. 3. On a very hot grill, place the jalapeño peppers on top and charr the skin, turning occasionally. 4. Once roasted, place into a sealed container. Wait about twenty minutes, uncover, and begin to peel the skin off, discard skin. 5. Dice the peppers and place to the side. 6. Place all nine dressing ingredients into a high-speed blender and process until well mixed. Season with salt, pepper, and adjust the seasoning. 7. Separately in a skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds until they are golden in color and set them aside. 8. To serve, pull apart the lettuce and place it in a large bowl. Season the greens lightly and drizzle the dressing around them making sure to coat each leaf. 9. Place the greens in the center of the plate. Top with the cucumbers, snap peas, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds, and the reggiano parmesan.
Courtesy by Claire Thomas
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