I’ve never been a fan of salads.
It could have something to do with growing up in a country where a salad consisted of a few limp lettuce leaves, a slice of tomato and spoonful of Salad Cream. Salads were only ever served in the summers (which were notoriously short. Sort of regarded as a day here and there, rather than a proper season), and even the one dressing available is still marketed as “pourable sunshine” because the taste of it inevitably reminds us of those summer salads of childhood.
The introduction of the exotic ‘vinaigrette’ dressing some time during the 80s made salads a little more palatable, but still, i couldn’t get excited about them, but still never something I was likely to choose over a big plate of pasta and meat sauce or something with chips.
There is no denying, however, that a big salad is a great way to get in your 5-a-day if, you know, looking after your body is something that’s important to you. Which it is to me.
It’s also a lot of food-in-the-mouth time for the amount of calories it contains, if that sort of thing is important to you. Which, sadly, it is to me. (Sometimes).
So I’ve been experimenting with chopped salads and I’m actually, GASP, enjoying them.
What is a Chopped Salad?
Can you guess? Yup, salad. All chopped up.
The thing I like is that you just pick foods that you like, dump them on a big chopping board, get a big cook’s knife and start whacking away at it.
As you chop, things spread out on the board, so you corral them with the knife and scoop them back in to the center, mixing as you go.
It’s entirely up to you what to put in: if you like iceberg lettuce’s crunch, throw some in. If you like spicy mustard greens or spinach’s iron boost, use those as well/instead. Toss in peppers or don’t. Any type of onion, or go pure. Want nuts? Go nuts!
Today’s Chopped Salad
Today I used iceberg lettuce, because that’s what I had. I added a spring onion, some shredded carrots, some slivered almonds and flax seed, a couple of slices of deli ham and turkey.
Then I threw them all into a big bowl and gave them a final toss with my latest favourite salad dressing: 1 tbsp salad cream and a dollop of Scotch Bonnet sauce (thanks to Neil & Fiona for turning me on to scotch bonnet sauce) 1
Oh, and then I threw on a handful of Cranberry Trail mix on top for occasional sweetness and crunch. 2
Mmmmmmm!
With all that healthy goodness in there, how could this salad not help save my life?!
More on Chopped Salads:
Jamie Oliver salads: http://www.jamieoliver.com/about/jamie-oliver-videos/ministry-of-food-green-salad
Tracy Porter’s All-American Airhead Chopped Salad video about how to make a chopped salad http://tracyporter.com/blog/more-tracy-porter/tracy-porter-salad-videothe-all-american-classic-chopped-salad