I’m sharing uncommon salad elements that add diet and taste – your salads won’t ever be boring once more!
Are you uninterested in the identical outdated inexperienced salads that lack pleasure and taste?
I really like an enormous ol’ salad, but when they’re not filled with attention-grabbing elements, then nobody is happy about consuming a boring bowl of greens. An incredible salad has a number of flavors and textures. And I’m an enormous fan of constructing home made salad dressings – they’re tremendous simple to whip up with elements that you have already got in your pantry, like olive oil and vinegar.
At present I’m sharing a pleasant array of surprising salad elements that can encourage the best way you strategy your greens – say goodbye to the mundane. These elements will add vibrant shade, distinctive texture, and scrumptious flavors to your salads. Get able to re-think boring with these 12 sudden and inventive salad toppings.
Experiment with completely different combos to find your individual distinctive salad creations!
12 Uncommon Salad Components
1. Candied Nuts
As an alternative of standard toasted nuts, attempt candied pecans, walnuts, or almonds for a candy and crunchy twist. Right here’s a fundamental recipe for candied nuts.
2. Edible Flowers
Do you know some flowers are edible!? Add a pop of shade and delicate flavors with edible flowers like pansies, nasturtiums, or violets.
3. Coconut Flakes
Toasted coconut flakes can add a tropical and barely candy aspect to your salad. This summery quinoa salad – toasted coconut, mint, and crumbled goat cheese add additional scrumptious flavors!
4. Roasted Chickpeas
For added texture and protein, attempt roasted chickpeas with numerous seasonings like cumin, paprika, or garlic. This Greek Salad can be incredible with roasted chickpeas.
5. Pickled Fruits or Greens
Pickled watermelon rinds, beets, and even strawberries can present tanginess and a novel twist. Right here’s a fast information on simple pickling.
6. Dried Fruits
Dried fruits like apricots, figs, or golden raisins can carry a burst of sweetness to your greens. (Though I can’t say the mayo-coated raisins in a waldorf salad are my favourite, haha.)
7. Seaweed
Add a contact of umami and ocean taste with dried seaweed, akin to nori or dulse, to your salad.
8. Grilled Fruit
Grilled peaches, pineapple, and even watermelon can add smoky and caramelized flavors to your salad.
9. Pomegranate Seeds
These little bursts of tangy juiciness can elevate the style and visible enchantment of any salad. Strive my Final Fall Wheatberry Salad – it’s certainly one of my favourite salads to carry to a fall get-together.
10. Crispy Shallots or Onions
You already know I’m not a fan of purple onions, however in case you are, attempt crispy shallots or onions for a savory and crunchy addition as a substitute of croutons.
11. Parmesan Crisps
These are certainly one of my all-time favourite salad toppers as a result of they’re so crunchy but soften in your mouth! They’re additionally surprisingly excessive in protein. I purchase them at Dealer Joe’s or Costco.
12. Chips
Take this one from the web page of Chopt salad guide! I really like their salads with tortilla chips crushed in. If I’m craving one thing crunchy and don’t have something however tortilla chips, they make a fantastic salad topper! Crush just a few and sprinkle on prime. Pita chips are naturally one other welcome addition, and people skinny pretzel crisps are good too!!
I like including cooked veggies to my uncooked salads. Strive roasting cherry tomatoes and zucchini with olive oil and salt + pepper.
My Salad Recipe (With Kind-of Uncommon Components)
My go-to salad as of late, as we transition into fall meals and flavors, is my Fall Harvest Salad Recipe. It’s made with massaged kale as the bottom and topped with roasted butternut squash, crumbled blue cheese, sliced Honeycrisp apple, and crunchy spiced pecans. A maple and apple cider dressing brings all of it collectively. I really like the candy and savory flavors!
Components
- Butternut Squash – both one massive complete squash or a bath of pre-cubed squash from the grocery retailer
- Kale – a big head, 2 mediums, or a bag of pre-chopped to save lots of time
- Honeycrisp Apple – my favourite, however use no matter you want!
- Spiced Pecans – it’s also possible to use plain and toast them
- Blue Cheese – Bleu d’auvergne is my favourite selection (purchase it in a block and crumbled it your self)
- Cinnamon – only a dusting for the squash to roast in
Maple + Apple Cider French dressing
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup additional virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- salt + pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 levels.
- Wash butternut squash, peel, slice in half, de-seed, and chop into cubes. Use a pre-cubed container for a shortcut.
- Unfold cubes of butternut squash out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle on cinnamon. Therapeutic massage butternut till nicely coated and bake for 30-35 minutes, till fork tender and browning on the edges.
- Whereas squash bakes, wash and dry kale and take away any stems. Chop into small items. Slice apple thinly. Crumble blue cheese.
- To make the dressing, grate garlic clove and mix all elements in a jar and whisk or shake.
- Therapeutic massage kale with dressing utilizing clear fingers till kale is shiny inexperienced and softens. Permit to sit down and marinate not less than 20 minutes.
- Add kale to a big bowl and toss with roasted butternut squash, apple, pecans, and blue cheese.
- Function a facet, a light-weight lunch, or as a base for a meal salad with protein of your selection on prime (i.e. grilled rooster breasts, rooster salad, hard-boiled eggs).
Discover all of the KERF salad recipes right here!
I’ve a bunch of distinctive salad recipes, together with pasta salads, roasted tofu potato salad, a fantastic summer time salad recipe, and rather more! You gained’t discover any iceberg based mostly salads right here 😉
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