SIDE SALADS-BACK IN THE BUDGET
In the mid-later20th century, side salads were considered an automatic part of a dinner, even at home. Frequently, it was a wedge of iceberg, the work horse of lettuces, with a creamy dressing. Then came other ‘more sophisticated’ varieties, Romaine, red leaf, endive, escarole, and a deluge of vinaigrette dressings. Along the way, the side salad became an option. Now, more often, tossed or layered, mixed with vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, seeds and/or herbs, a salad is part of the entrée.
Ironically, as the side salad disappeared, concern to get children to eat more vegetables grew, even to the extent of tricking them by disguising or hiding vegetables in other foods, including desserts. Restoring side salads might be a more effective solution. Side salads enhance the entrée by providing complimentary texture and flavor contrasts. They can also be fun additions to the meal, depending on ingredients, which appeals to children. However, the general concept of acceptable ingredients will need updating.
Side salads were traditionally based on, and often completely composed of greens. Back in the day, greens were nutritionally considered a ‘frill’, decorative and inexpensive, not a vitamin enriched food. Fully appreciated today, the cost of greens is at an all-time high and providing side salads for a family, on a regular basis is no longer a nominal expense. I wrote a post on alternatives to greens on May 11, 2023.
The real solution though, is not to mimic traditional side salads, but to devise new ones, using foods which fulfill all the requirements of nutrition, flavor and appeal. The best candidates are fruits and vegetables, canned, fresh and frozen. I’ve written 2 posts on this subject in the past; both before the drastic rise in prices, inspired, mainly, by the above mentioned dietary concerns. The first on July 23, 2015, focused on vegetables and the second on Dec. 22, 2016 is about fruits. Their information is still valid, so I’m quoting example recipes from both, and adding aa few new ones.. For the list of recipes, please check the posts and enjoy side salads again. Also remember that fruits and vegetables yield more servings as an ingredient in a mixed salad than as a single serving item and please note the number of servings on the recipes.
RECIPES
VEGETABLES
Carrot Slaw; Serves 4
4 medium-small carrots
1/3 cup raisins. dried cranberries or blueberries—optionally plumped in water
¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts- optional
¼ head of iceberg lettuce
Peel carrot skins and using a vegetable peeler, slice them one half the length at a time, into a “slaw”.
Toss with the dried fruit and set aside. If not using right away, keep chilled Cut the
lettuce into very thin slices and then cut them in half lengthwise, removing the tough core pieces. Arrange the lettuce equally on 4 plates. Toss the carrots with choice of dressing and divide among the plates. Garnish with nuts.
Choice of dressing: This salad goes well with several dressings. French. Peppercorn Ranch, Vadalia Onion, Cole Slaw, Caesar even one of the Raspberry vinaigrettes
Green Bean and Mushroom Salad: Serves 4
8oz. frozen cut green beans
4 oz. sliced raw button mushrooms or a 4oz. can mushrooms sliced or stems and pieces-drained
1 small onion halved and thinly sliced – optional
4 large Romaine leaves, optionally torn into bite-sized pieces
¼ cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing OR 3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar + 1 Tbs. oil
Cook the beans as per package directions until just crisp-tender; drain and toss with mushrooms, onions if using, and balsamic dressing Marinate chilled for at least 2 hours. Toss with the Romaine pieces and serve or optionally line each plate with a Romaine leaf cut in half and mound bean mix on top. Garnish with chopped chives, fresh or dried parsley, cilantro or dill.
Pickled Red Beet Salad; Serves 4
15 oz. can sliced beets- drained, juice reserved
1 small onion halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 Tbs. cider vinegar – or to taste
1 tsp. sugar- or to taste
4 large leaves of red leaf lettuce
Dressing of choice*
Pour beet juice into a saucepan. Add vinegar and sugar tasting and adjusting until desired sweet-sour flavor is reached. Add beets and onions, heat through and let cool. Place in a covered container and marinate at least 2 days. Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces, divide among plates and mound drained** beets and onions on top. Drizzle or dollop dressing over, depending on choice.
*Suggested dressings; a Raspberry-nut vinaigrette drizzled over OR topped with dollops of
1/3 cup sour cream with 1Tbs. vinegar and 1 tsp. sugar –or quantities to taste-mixed in
** Shelled hard-boiled eggs can be pickled in the beet juice for up to 3 weeks. Delicious alone, sliced in sandwiches or chopped in salads.
Peas and Tomatoes with Basil: Serves 4
10 oz. fresh or frozen peas-cooked to crisp-tender
2 plum tomatoes- medium dice
2 Tbs. oil
2 Tbs. dried basil OR ¼ cup chopped fresh
Salt and eppr to taste
Garlic powder to taste-Optional
Toss everything together in a bowl. Allow to marinate, chilled, at least 1 hr.
Fruits
Church Salad: Serves 6
1 lb. Romaine cut in bite sized pieces,
(1) 8oz.can mandarin oranges,
1/2 small white onion thinly sliced
Orange Dressing
3/4 cup orange juice
1Tbs.poppy seeds
2 Tbs. oil
Sugar if needed
Slowly boil the juice and poppy seeds together until the juice reduces to about ½ cup; add oil and sugar if needed. Allow to cool and store covered, chilled at least 1 day. Shake well and toss with salad ingredients just before serving
Craisin-Pear Salad: Serves 4
1 large, ripe pear cored and diced,
3 cups salad greens,
¼ cup craisins
Dressing:
2 Tbs. oil,
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar,
¼ tsp. Dijon mustard,
salt & pepper
Whisk dressing ingredients wel. Toss all ingredients gently with dressing just before serving
Tomato -Watermelon Salad: Serves 4
1 slice of watermelon half about 1 inch thick–rind and seeds removed– cut in ¾ inch cubes
1 medium tomato – in large dice
5-6 green leaf lettuce leaves – torn in bite-sized pieces or other tender greens
3 Tbs. + Caesar dressing or other complimentary vinaigrette.
Gently toss ingredients with dressing.
Grapes and Baby Greens with Maple Dressing: Serves 6
1 small yellow apple thinly sliced,
6 cups baby mixed greens,
1 cup seedless red grapes halved.
Dressing: Combine and whisk I oil
1 Tbs. maple syrup,
1 thinly sliced scallion,
1tsp. lemon juice, or more to taste if needed with juice
½ cup raspberry juice or similarly tart clear fruit juice-see above
2 Tbs. olive oil
Arrange greens, top with fruits and drizzle with dressing.
Craisin-Pear Salad:* Serves 4
1) 1 large, ripe pear cored and diced, 3 cups salad greens, ¼ cup craisins
2) Dressing: Whisk 2 Tbs. oil, 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar, ¼ tsp. Dijon mustard, salt & pepper
3) Toss all ingredients gently with dressing just before serving
Pear-Spinach Salad with Pecans: Serves 8
1) 2 ripe pears thinly sliced, 13 oz. baby spinach (2 pkgs.), 1 small, white onion thinly sliced,–1/4 cup melted butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar( divided), ¾ tsp. cinnamon (divided), 1 ½ cups pecan halves.
2) Dressing: Whisk 1/3 cup oil, ½ cup white wine vinegar, ¼ tsp. cinnamon, ¼ cup sugar, salt &pepper
3) Mix and spread on a foil-lined sheet, butter, ½ cup sugar, ½ tsp. cinnamon and nuts. Bake at 350 deg. for 20 min.stirring. Cool and separate nuts with a fork. Gently toss salad ingredients in a bowl, add dressing and garnish with nuts.
NOTE: *Craisins are sweetened dried cranberries. To make your own, Prick 2 cups cranberries with a pin. Boil 1 cups sugar and ¼ cup water until sugar dissolves, stir in berries, then transfer to a foil-lined sheet and bake at 300 deg. for 45 min. Spread on waxed paper and when almost dry roll in granulated sugar if a sweeter berry is wanted. Can be used as decorations on desserts or sprinkled over ice
GRAPES
Grapes and Baby Greens with Maple Dressing: Serves 6
1) 1 small yellow apple thinly sliced, 6 cups baby mixed greens, 1 cup seedless red grapes halved.
2)Dressing: Combine 1 Tbs. maple syrup, 1 thinly sliced scallion, 1tsp. lemon juice, ½ cup raspberry juice, whisk in 2 Tbs. olive oil
3) Arrange greens, top with fruits and drizzle with dressing.
Grapes with Honey Lime Dressing: Serves 4
1) 1 cup halved seedless grapes, 2 cups baby spinach leaves, ½ head radicchio-leaves in bite-sized pieces,
2)Stir together 1 Tbs. honey,3 Tbs. lime juice, whisk in 3 Tbs. oil, salt & pepper
3) Toss salad ingredients gently together, add dressing just before serving and toss again
APPLES
Nutty Apple Salad: Serves 4
1) 2 tart green apples in ½ inch dice, 2 Tbs. toasted slivered almonds,3 or 4 Belgian endives (see step #3)*
2) Combine 1 Tbs. lemon juice, 4 tsp.oil,1 tsp. minced garlic, pinch salt
3) Wash the endive with a damp cloth, thinly slice crosswise and mix in a bowl with apples and nuts, toss with dressing. OR Serve this as individual salads. Chop the apples in finer dice and mix with almonds in a bit of dressing. Separate the endive leaves into 12 or 16 equal piles, depending on size. Divide piles among 4 plates and fill each with a bit of the fruit-nut mix, drizzle with remaining dressing.
NOTE* Belgian endive leaves can be held by the stem end and eaten by hand, rather like a slice of pizza.In this way they can be used as dippers, like chips, to hold small amounts of food.
Apple-Jicama Salad: Serves 6
1)1medium jicama, 3 red apples, 1 small onion thinly sliced, 3 cups romaine leaves in bite-sized pieces, ¼ cup chopped fresh mint.
2) Dressing: Stir together ½ cup orange juice, 1 Tbs. EACH lime juice, cider vinegar, brown sugar, 1 Tbs. oil, to dissolve sugar
3)Cut jicama and cored apple into matchsticks. Toss with lettuce, mint and dressing. Garnish with mint leaves if desired.
Tomatoes
Tomato- Spinach Salad: Serves 4
1) 3 cups baby spinach leaves, ½ small white onion thinly sliced, 12-14 grape tomatoes sliced crosswise in 3 pieces
2) Dressing: ¼ cup of a good bottled Vidalia Onion dressing or more to taste
3) Combine ingredients in a bowl and drizzle dressing over, then toss gently.
Salad Margherita; Serves 4
1)3 cups baby spinach, or torn green leaf lettuce, 3 plum tomatoes quartered lengthwise then halved into eight pieces each, ½ small onion diced, 1/3 cup fresh mozzarella, slivered, ¼ cup fresh basil leaves chopped
2) Dressing: A ¼ cup good bottled Caesar dressing- or to taste
3) Combine ingredients in a bowl and drizzle dressing over, then toss gently. Garnish with Basil leaves
side salad is generally expected with a dinner entrée. It offers a complimentary contrast in texture and taste as well as providing nutritionally balancing fiber. However, anyone who’s shopped for produce recently knows that the prices per pound now rival that of many meats. Add a large tomato to a head of lettuce and the “simple “salad costs than most cuts. I was amazed last week to see collards, formerly an inexpensive leafy green, priced above Romaine. Scallions in a featured sale, 3 bunches for $1.00, had only 4 per bunch when there used to be 6 to 8!
Unfortunately, the prices haven’t lowered much this summer, which means that they will probably rise even higher come fall.
So what is the family meal planner to do to keep side salads in the daily dinner menu without it costing nearly double? One solution is to study the produce section and try to find things that haven’t skyrocketed. Regular carrots, for example, cost about $0.88 lb. they’re tastier, more versatile than the dwarf variety and make a great slaw. Compare the prices on all greens that are salad friendly. They’re usually interchangeable. Try to find new uses for other items too. One small zucchini, for instance, sliced paper thin goes a long way as a salad ingredient.
Another solution is to cut down the amount of lettuces or bedding greens, by using frozen vegetables to form the base of the salad. They cost less and go much further. Cut green beans, and broccoli are good selections. Snow peas and edamame are good “fillers”. Canned beets or asparagus are useful salad bases too. Properly presented side salads built around these ingredients, with harmonious dressings, become clever creations, not economic measures.
I’m listing a few of my favorite suggestions for these kinds of salad solutions below, with dressing suggestions. Actually, writing this has given me an idea for next week’s posting. I’m going to work on some different salad dressing recipes to perk up side salads and give them a bit of zing.
Carrot Slaw; Serves 4
4 medium-small carrots
1/3 cup raisins. dried cranberries or blueberries—optionally plumped in water
¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts- optional
¼ head of iceberg lettuce
Choice of dressing*
Peel carrot skins and using a vegetable peeler, slice them one half the length at a time, into a “slaw”. Toss with the dried fruit and set aside. If not using right away, keep chilled Cut the
lettuce into very thin slices and then cut them in half lengthwise, removing the tough core pieces. Arrange the lettuce equally on 4 plates. Toss the carrots with choice of dressing and divide among the plates. Garnish with nuts.
*This salad goes well with several dressings. French. Peppercorn Ranch, Vadalia Onion, Cole Slaw, Caesar even one of the Raspberry vinaigrettes.
Green Bean and Mushroom Salad: Serves 4
8oz. frozen cut green beans
4 oz. sliced raw button mushrooms or a 4oz. can mushrooms sliced or stems and pieces-drained
1 small onion halved and thinly sliced – optional
4 large Romaine leaves, optionally torn into bite-sized pieces
¼ cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing OR 3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar + 1 Tbs. oil
Cook the beans as per package directions until just crisp-tender; drain and toss with mushrooms, onions if using, and balsamic dressing Marinate chilled for at least 2 hours. Toss with the Romaine pieces and serve or optionally line each plate with a Romaine leaf cut in half and mound bean mix on top. Garnish with chopped chives, fresh or dried parsley, cilantro or dill.
Pickled Red Beet Salad; Serves 4
15 oz. can sliced beets- drained, juice reserved
1 small onion halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 Tbs. cider vinegar – or to taste
1 tsp. sugar- or to taste
4 large leaves of red leaf lettuce
Dressing of choice*
Pour beet juice into a saucepan. Add vinegar and sugar tasting and adjusting until desired sweet-sour flavor is reached. Add beets and onions, heat through and let cool. Place in a covered container and marinate at least 2 days. Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces, divide among plates and mound drained** beets and onions on top. Drizzle or dollop dressing over, depending on choice.
*Suggested dressings; a Raspberry-nut vinaigrette drizzled over OR topped with dollops of
1/3 cup sour cream with 1Tbs. vinegar and 1 tsp. sugar –or quantities to taste-mixed in
** Shelled hard-boiled eggs can be pickled in the beet juice for up to 3 weeks. Delicious alone, sliced in sandwiches or chopped in salads.
Tomato -Watermelon Salad: Serves 4
1 slice of watermelon half about 1 inch thick–rind and seeds removed– cut in ¾ inch cubes
1 medium tomato – in large dice
5-6 green leaf lettuce leaves – torn in bite-sized pieces
Orange dressing*
¼ cup Feta or blue cheese crumbles – optional
Make dressing a day ahead and chop vegetables just before assembling salad. Toss all ingredients together with the dressing and serve from a bowl or on plates garnished with the cheese if using.
*Orange Dressing
3/4 cup orange juice
1Tbs.poppy seeds
2 Tbs. oil
Sugar if needed
Slowly boil the juice and poppy seeds together until the juice reduces to about ½ cup; add oil and sugar if needed. Allow to cool and store covered, chilled at least 1 day. Shake well and toss with salad ingredients just before serving.
