The BIG GREEN...Salad Freestyle

No, not the Big Green Egg, the fancy grill of choice these days. A big green salad. Eat a big green salad. Read on.

Got the Blues? Not feeling great? Got an unhappy tummy? Eat a Big Green Salad! It will improve your insides and your mood.

Mixed Baby Greens: Beet greens, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, arugula

What exactly is a green salad? What’s in it? Is there a recipe for that? Glad you asked.

A green salad is a salad made with…yup, greens. But, it can be more. Here is my easiest recipe for a green salad. By the way, it is a “no recipe” recipe. A “no recipe” recipe is easy, especially when you’re assembling a salad. It's freestyle cooking. Think of it as free-falling, so dive right in. You cannot fail--I promise. It's safe in the kitchen, so go wild! Experiment with reckless abandon. After all, you're doing something great for your body.

Dive in and make this salad without a recipe
(Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash)

If you’re making enough for yourself, grab a generous handful of greens, top it with as much (or as little) of your favorite ingredients as you wish, then drizzle with a nice dressing. See, it’s just like going to the salad bar. How about if you’re making this salad for a tableful? Do the same thing in a bigger bowl, but add more of the toppings and dressing. That’s it! Click for printable recipe.

Add your favorite toppings, drizzle on the dressing and toss. Easy!

Ingredients:

mixed greens

red onion, shaved (use as much or as little as you wish)

gorgonzola, crumbled (use as much or as little as you wish)

carrots, peeled and shaved lengthwise

fresh basil, julienned (I used fresh dill in winter)

My Favorite Toppings:

toasted almonds or walnuts

toasted pumpkin or sunflower seed

edible flowers (nasturtiums, chive flowers, etc.)

shaved mushrooms

shaved radishes

shaved beets

Instructions:

1. Wash the greens (unless they’re sold prewashed) 
2. Peel, halve and shave the onion using a handheld mandoline 
3. Peel the carrots, cut off ends. Shave lengthwise using a vegetable peeler. (If you do this on the mandoline, you may just lose bits of your fingertips.)
4. Toss everything with dressing to evenly distribute ingredients.

Dressing:

Okay, I’ll give you a recipe for this.

In a jar, combine 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, one finely chopped garlic clove, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Remember to make more if you’re making a much larger salad.

You can use any dressing you wish, but remember to stay away from sweet dressings. If you're trying to do something good for your insides, avoid the sugar.

Sometimes all I want is a big bowl of beautiful crisp lettuce. Just a little onion and the dressing. So good!