Building a Balanced Salad ⚖️🥗

Today’s lesson is 377 words, a 1 min 30 sec reading time. Subscribe here. 📍Introduction A balanced salad has about six to eight ingredients - for example, two lettuces, two veggies, one dressing, and 1-2 toppings. A salad with too few components can be a bit meh (especially if it’s a main course salad). Too many ingredients become a jumble of flavors that can be overwhelming & confusing. Also, your chance of mixing ingredients that don’t mesh well together (e.g., cranberries and anchovies) increases. The Four Layers of a Balanced Salad: * 1 - Base (Lettuce/Greens) (pick 1-2): * Soft: butter, spinach, arugula * Crunchy: kale, romaine, cabbage, iceberg * 2 - Body (Vegetables) (pick 1-3): * Soft root: sweet potatoes, butternut squash, beets (roasted), onions * Tender veg: tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms * Crunchy root: carrots, radishes, beets (raw) * Crunchy veg: cucumbers, fennel, celery, peppers * 3 - Dressing (base + flavorings): * Oil: Olive oil, walnut, avocado, sesame * Acid/vinegar: lemon, balsamic, white/red/champagne/rice, apple cider * Creamy: yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise, tahini, peanut butter * Seasoning: salt (e.g., kosher, flakes) & pepper (white, peppercorn) * Allium: shallot, garlic, chives, onion * 4 - Toppings (pick 0-2): * Crunchy: croutons, breadcrumbs, nuts, seeds, sprouts * Salty: olives, parmesan, feta * Creamy: cheese, avocado * Umami: olives, parmesan, tahini, anchovies * Sweet: sun-dried tomatoes, pears, apples, oranges, dried fruit * Protein: beans (e.g., lentils, chickpeas, black), eggs (e.g., poached/medium boiled), tofu, chicken, tinned or smoked fish, salmon, shrimp, steak * Starch: sweet potatoes, potatoes, pasta, quinoa, brown rice, farro, barley 📓 Notes, Tips & Tricks: * Some veggies are best cooked (e.g., asparagus, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, edamame, peas, string beans) * Cut round veggies & fruits (e.g., tomatoes, grapes) in half if you have time - this makes spearing them with a fork easier * If you have a mandoline or grater, put it to work! Some veggies are a bit overpowering in taste or feel if not cut thin (e.g., radish, carrot, fennel, onions, celery, zucchini) * Stick with 1-2 proteins max to avoid overkill * Add soft, flaky items (e.g., tofu, fish) at the end to ensure they hold together * Chop or tear large pieces of protein for easier eating (e.g., poached/roasted chicken) 📓 Salad Toppings Reference Guide 🎓 Further Study * 📺 The Big Salad (Seinfeld) * A Composed Salad Is a Meal Unto Itself [NYTimes] * Seasonal Winter Salads [Serious Eats] * 37 Best Salad Recipes [Love & Lemons] * 22 Filling Vegetarian Salads That Are Standalone Meals [NYTimes] * Satisfying Main Course Salads [NYTimes] —————————————————— 🎧 Prefer to listen? Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify or Overcast. 💡 Have ideas for what we should teach next? Fill out this survey. 📚 Check out more in the Table of Contents This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.trylifeschool.com