An ode to the salad

26th June 2009

posted in Recipes |

Since getting the bunnies last fall, it’s occurred to me more and more how much “rabbit food” gets a bad rap. Rabbit food is commonly associated with dieting and deprivation or it’s thought to be the dietary mainstay of granola-munching, tree-hugging vegetarians — both of which make it sound as appealing as munching on cardboard. The relationship with salad is even more complicated for fat folk, for whom eating anything beyond a dry salad in public becomes Exhibit A as to why they’re (presumed to be) fat.

The breakfast bowls I serve the bunnies are far from bland, however (a typical bunny breakfast can include any of the following: kale, mustard greens, watercress, escarole, raw green beans, carrots, parsley, cilantro, lettuce, grapes, raisins, dried cranberries, apples, plums, nectarines, etc…). Often times their salad bowls rival that of any overpriced salad served in snooty restaurants and at a fraction of the cost. So, in honor of the under-recognized salad, here’s my own favorite and, of course, simple recipe, which I happen to think is the Best. Salad. Ever.

Lettuce (I prefer a mix of Romaine and red lettuce, but any lettuce will do)
Kalamata olives
Pepperocinis (I add these sparingly, since they’re spicy)
Sprinkling of feta cheese
Ken’s Steakhouse Lite Olive Oil Vinaigrette (Kraft has a similar variety, but I prefer Ken’s)
Ground pepper to taste

Combine and enjoy.

What’s your favorite salad combo?

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This entry was posted on Friday, June 26th, 2009 at 6:05 pm and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 On June 26th, 2009, The Bald Soprano said:

lollo rosso/lollo bionda lettuce
cucumber
tomatoes
fresh mozzarella
homemade balsamic vinegar dressing (vinegar, oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, a little sugar)

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 6:42 pm

2 On June 26th, 2009, Rosalie said:

Salads are a complicated food for *anyone* to eat, in my opinion. If you’re a man and you eat a salad, you risk being seen as not manly enough. If you’re a thin woman who eats a salad, you risk being seen as disordered eating, restrictive, always on a diet, etc, and often prompt this question: “is that all you’re having?”

If you’re a fat woman who eats a salad, then you’re automatically trying to lose weight. If the dressing comes on the side, then the assumption is that you’re dieting. If the dressing comes on the salad, then the assumption is something like, “don’t you know how many calories and fat is in the dressing?! You might as well eat a burger and fries”. Ugh.

Unfortunate because salads are SO GOOD (and good for you), no matter which of the above molds you might fit into. I love asian/toasted sesame/ginger flavored salads. Cilantro is a requisite. So are those crunchy (fried??) twig-ish sticks. What are those called? One of the cafes at my college has an asian ginger dressing that’s DA BOMB but I have no idea how to recreate it or where to buy something similarly tasty. The newman’s own Sesame ginger vinaigrette sucks and in no way can compare.

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 6:54 pm

3 On June 26th, 2009, Aleksiina said:

I make salads all the time! Especially this time of the year since there is so much produce available. I especially like Mechouia, which is a very simple grilled vegetable salad from Tunisia. I usually take the leftover salad to stuff pitas, and add a good grating of parmesan cheese for a tasty sandwich the next day. But I have a weakness for asian flavours and I think this is my all time favourite:

Arugula/ baby spinach
thinly sliced green apple
blanched asparagus and snow peas
green onions
sesame seeds
Avocado
homemade asian dressing (extra-virgin olive oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, grated ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sriracha and a dash of sesame oil)

My boyfriend and I have this salad with pieces of toasted french baguette, and each time we fight over the last portion left in the bowl! Definitely no leftovers with this one…

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 7:07 pm

4 On June 26th, 2009, Tangerina said:

I get super sad that salads have so much baggage, because they very well may be my favorite food. I usually eat about one a day because I love them and they are easy and infinitely variable. I really don’t like it if someone makes a comment about how ‘good’ I am for eating a salad, but it isn’t like I’m gonna stop eating them! Like the time I ordered one instead of fries at Red Robins and a friend commented cuz it made her insecure about her own food choice, unaware that I was planning on sharing my boyfriend’s ‘bottomless’ fries anyways. Everybody! My food isn’t about you!

Here is my recipe for the best salad ever. I’m not being cocky, as I have many tasters to confirm my claim.

a leafy green (my favorite is butter lettuce)
shredded carrots
chopped sweet onion
chopped avocado
chopped pear
pecans lightly toasted in butter and brown sugar
crumbled feta cheese
dressing made from 1 part olive oil, 1 part balsamic vinegar, one crushed clove of fresh garlic, and the fresh juice from a satsuma (or orange) to taste

Here is the recipe for my every day salad I make before work. I get all this stuff in nifty bags at Trader Joe’s (though not fond of the excessive packaging). It take 5 minutes to throw together.

Butter lettuce and radicchio mix
baby carrots
chopped apple
toasted sliced almonds
feta
balsamic and olive oil for dressing, or the dressing mentioned above

And finally, here is the recipe (as best I can figure) for the super delicious and simple salad I ate every chance I had when I was studying abroad on the island Kefalonia in Greece. A woman named Claudia owned a restaurant on the waterfront that served this salad.

radicchio
sliced avocado
big, thin slices of parmesan
olive oil and balsamic vinegar
a dash of salt and pepper

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 7:21 pm

5 On June 26th, 2009, ItsTheWooo said:

My favorite salad used to be :
romaine
ken’s light caesar
chicken breast
parmesan
VERY few croutons (like, a literal serving)

But now my favorite is:
romaine
marie’s light blue cheese dressing
crumbled blue cheese
chicken breast tossed with hot wing sauce
tomatoes
pecans

low carbz

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 7:24 pm

6 On June 26th, 2009, Lynn (The Actors Diet) said:

Mmmm. Salad….

I make what I call a “Starving Salad” quite often. It’s quite satisfying.

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 7:38 pm

7 On June 26th, 2009, Rachel said:

Mmmmm… I love the combo of blue cheese and hardboiled egg in a salad. When I’m not eating my Greek salad, I usually like just a leafy green salad with carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, egg, blue cheese crumbles, Newman’s Own Lite Honey Mustard and… BACOS! Bless General Mills for making Bacos vegetarian!

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 7:43 pm

8 On June 26th, 2009, Charlotte said:

Mmmm…salad.
I like Greek salad and Ceasear salad a lot. When I make a salad at home, it usually consists of:

Romanine lettuce
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing
Shredded cheddar cheese
Green olives
Bacon bits (Or Bacos)

Whenever I vist my mom, we always make a tomato and feta cheese salad. I highly recommend it.

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 8:44 pm

9 On June 26th, 2009, Katja said:

I love spinach, avocado, asparagus, peppers and a sesame ginger dressing (home-made or Leeanne Chin’s bottled)

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 8:46 pm

10 On June 26th, 2009, shell524 said:

I really enjoy Southwestern flavor-inspired salads… Like this one:

Mixed greens
Kidney beans
Roasted corn kernels
Red onion
Sharp cheddar cheese (Or Pepper jack if it’s available)
Tomatoes
Crispy tortilla strips
and a good spicy buttermilk dressing or Salsa used as dressing

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 8:57 pm

11 On June 26th, 2009, AR said:

Oh man, there is a salad chain in Rome called L’Insalata Ricca, and they have the biggest, most beautifully delicious salads in the world. Fresh lettuce, and then every topping you can think of, in tons of different combinations. I can’t think of a favorite, because I loved so many of them. But the best part? The salads come dressed very simply, and they’re seasoned so well that you don’t need anything else. Man, I miss that place like crazy. Why is there no place like that in the States? (L’Insalata Ricca does serve some pastas, but the salads are the show.) I can never, ever replicate their salads here, either. It’s just not possible.

Anyway, I also had a salad for dinner tonight; falafel and pickles and cucumber and yogurt tahini dressing. Delish.

I love salads, and I know they’re fraught, and I don’t care. They’re one of my favorite noshes.

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 9:06 pm

12 On June 26th, 2009, Vixen said:

I totally wrote down that asian dressing recipe; mmmmmmmmmm.

Foolproof default midweek dinner antipasto-y salad:

A layer of chopped romaine hearts festooned with –

chopped reduced-fat salami
chopped cherry tomatoes
s&w canned white beans
chopped provolone
chopped pepperocinis
thin-sliced green onions or fine chopped sweet onion
chopped sweet bell peppers if desired

Drizzle with Bernstein’s restaurant style italian dressing and dust with fresh ground pepper and grated parmesan (green can is fine).

I suppose this is really more of a chop salad than anything, but I don’t chop the romaine *that* fine. You could easily leave out the salami for a vegetarian take on this and I’ll bet it would be just as good.

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 9:13 pm

13 On June 26th, 2009, Keira said:

my fave is a tuna pasta salad:

pasta (cooked and cooled)
tinned tuna
dijonaise + hommus
spanish onion
carrot
cucumber
beetroot
shreddded lettuce
red cabbage

served in a lettuce cup

yum!

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 10:15 pm

14 On June 26th, 2009, rachel y. said:

I love salads.

lettuce (Some green but a little red leaf or other for color if you have it is fun)
cucumbers
carrots
radishes
onions
tomato
cheddar
f’acon bits
ranch dressing
croutons
salt

ok…now i want one

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 10:34 pm

15 On June 26th, 2009, wellroundedmama said:

The vet we took our bunnies to told us that bunnies should not be eating fruit, dried or fresh. Take or leave his opinion; just thought I’d pass along what he said.

We feed our bunnies primarily timothy hay pellets with bonuses of carrot greens and baby carrots, salad odds and ends from the garden, clover, dandelions, and sometimes strawberry tops on occasion (not the whole strawberry). They seem to do fine.

As far as my own salad preferences, a good spinach salad is to die for. I like it with hardboiled eggs, yummm. Or I like a good regular salad with grilled chicken and avocado.

posted on June 26th, 2009 at 11:29 pm

16 On June 27th, 2009, Melissa said:

Mmmmm I’m getting some good ideas from here.

I usually just use spinach or mixed greens
carrots
thin sliced red onion
cucumbers
pumpkin seeds/ or any type of seed mix
sometimes beets to garnish.
Either Feta or Moz Cheese Curds
A few Chick Peas

For Dressings I make my own
With Olive Oil/Canola Oil
Garlic
Salt/Pepper
Honey or Honey Mustard
Dijon Mustard
Cayenne Pepper
Vinegar
Then I shake it up and mix it into the dish and it’s pretty tasty!

posted on June 27th, 2009 at 12:07 am

17 On June 27th, 2009, Melissa said:

I am always in for any salad with fruit and trail mix in it! And if it has cornbread on the side I love it. I almost always get my dressing on the side because I don’t like the taste when it is drenched. But then again, I usually water down my juice by 1/2 for taste preferences too.

18 On June 27th, 2009, Sniper said:

The best salad I ever had was a mix of fresh baby greens, toasted almonds, sliced strawberries and grilled shrimp with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Mmmmm.

posted on June 27th, 2009 at 12:28 am

19 On June 27th, 2009, Monica said:

The one thing my school’s dining hall does right is the salad bar. I like to start with baby spinach and/or the dark leafy green mix they put out, followed by vinegar, raw bell pepper slices (red and green, if they have them), cheese, and sprouts. Sometimes they have turkey breast chunks, which I add gleefully. Otherwise I drink a glass or two of milk for protein. This tends to be my lunch and/or dinner at school (with supplementary protein and simple carb sources… I need simple sugars to be a happy lady). I only discovered intuitive eating about a year ago and it’s so lovely to just tear into a huge bowl of spinach and realize– hey, I like this.

posted on June 27th, 2009 at 1:13 am

20 On June 27th, 2009, Christine said:

I haven’t had my favorite salad since my local Doc Green’s closed:

spinach
bacon
roasted mushrooms
blue cheese crumbles
blue cheese dressing
croutons
topped with grilled, medium-rare sirloin steak

At home I make:

spinach
sliced Granny Smith apple
dried cranberries
toasted pecans
grilled chicken breast
crumbled blue cheese
croutons
Wishbone Bountifuls mixed berry dressing

My family is also very fond of my “Hawaiian Chicken Salad” in which I toss:

spinach
mandarin oranges
chow mein noodles
Kraft Asian Sesame dressing

then I top with boneless chicken thighs, cubed, that I’ve sauteed in the dressing until browned, glazed and sticky. Yum.

On a sad note, I tried growing my first vegetable garden this year. It’s sad because the bunnies ate all my swiss chard, lettuce and edamame. I had such dreams of picking my salad fresh from the garden. I even special-ordered heat-resistant lettuce (for growing in Southern summers), and edamame seeds because I couldn’t find them locally. Oh well, live and learn. Now that I know I’m up against, next year I’ll put everything they like together in one bed and fence it in. In retrospect, I think this is why my late father only ever grew tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers – he didn’t want to fight with the bunnies.

posted on June 27th, 2009 at 8:59 am

21 On June 27th, 2009, Gene said:

Celery sliced as thin as possible. Sliced apple. Walnuts. Fruity vinegar (my grocery store has this really sweet fig-flavored balsamic) and olive oil. I could eat this over and over.

posted on June 27th, 2009 at 11:08 am

22 On June 27th, 2009, Lisa said:

I never cease to be amazed by the comment threads on this blog! My own salads are kind of boring (recent grad + job hasn’t started yet = brooooke), but let me say I am making a mental list of these delicious-sounding combos!

posted on June 27th, 2009 at 11:18 am

23 On June 27th, 2009, Maureen at IslandRoar said:

A spring mix (or any) of greens,
cherry tomatoes, some feta, chopped walnuts and dried cranberries with a light or cesar dressing. Yum!

posted on June 27th, 2009 at 12:44 pm

24 On June 27th, 2009, Bronwyn said:

Makes me miss the salad bar at my school’s dining facilities. I do adore a good salad- spinach being my “base” of choice.

posted on June 27th, 2009 at 1:13 pm

25 On June 27th, 2009, Diana said:

My parent’s friends were also of the opinion that ‘rabbit food’ wasn’t quite the image they preferred. They decided to call it ‘gorilla food’ instead, and that’s how my family has referred to it since.

And man, has it ever been a long while since I last had me some gorilla food. Maybe I should go hunt down some salad later.

posted on June 27th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

26 On June 27th, 2009, Lori said:

Swiss Chard
Tomaotes
Strawberries
Walnuts
Feta cheese
Balsamic Vinaigrette

I go to sleep dreaming of it.

posted on June 27th, 2009 at 8:14 pm

27 On June 27th, 2009, Lori said:

I see lots of apple suggeestions. What kinds of apples work best? Macs are my favorite apples, but they seem too soft to stand up to a salad.

posted on June 27th, 2009 at 8:23 pm

28 On June 28th, 2009, Aleksiina said:

@Lori: I like to use Granny Smith apples. The really fresh and slightly acidic taste works perfect with most salads. Oddly enough, it’s not an apple that I like to eat on it’s own, but it’s also my favourite to make apple pie! It transforms nicely I guess Fuji apples also make great salads, they are firm and juicy and delicious. Since they are on the sweet side, I recommend putting them in a spicy salad to counterbalance the heat and get that yummy sweet/spicy combo.

But I think most apples will do fine if they are added last minute along with the dressing. Cut the pieces slightly bigger for a really delicate apple, and serve really quickly. It should be just fine

Hope that helps!

posted on June 28th, 2009 at 12:24 pm

29 On June 28th, 2009, Mania said:

My bearded dragons eat a diet fairly similar to your rabbits’ diet, except that they get salads sprinkled with crickets or mealworms.

I’ve never been able to make my own salads to eat. I snack so much on the raw vegetables that I end up with nothing in my salad.

posted on June 28th, 2009 at 5:42 pm

30 On June 29th, 2009, a girl running said:

I LOVE salad so much, even more now that I know I don’t have to eat it and I choose too.

My salads are mixed lettuce leaves
baby spinach
blue cheese (or feta if I am home in australia…I can’t find it here)
cucumber
red and green lettuce
blue cheese dressing

I also sometimes substitute the blue cheese for a tin of tuna in oil (drained)

I am having this for lunch today. Yum!

posted on June 29th, 2009 at 3:06 am

31 On June 29th, 2009, Noclegi Gory Klodzka said:

“or whom eating anything beyond a dry salad in public becomes Exhibit A as to why they’re (presumed to be) fat.”
This is so true. I had a friend who told me that everytime he sees a fat person eating fast food, ice cream or anything unhealthy he thinks to himself something along the lines of “yeah, stuff your face with more food, I’m sure it’s worth it!”. I’m sure lots of people think that way.

posted on June 29th, 2009 at 5:49 am

32 On June 29th, 2009, Meryt Bast said:

Spring mix, spinach, arugula, mache, sushi ginger, avocado, lemon juice, salt and pepper, preferably with half a Trader Joe’s garlic-parmesan flatbread with a little goat cheese on top (that’s my typical dinner these days). Occasionally, I substitute smoked salmon for the avocado. It all tastes so good and makes me feel great. I’m eating more and more raw these days, because I like the way it makes me feel and I love the fresh-fresh flavors.

posted on June 29th, 2009 at 10:30 am

33 On June 29th, 2009, Meryt Bast said:

Oh, and red onion.

posted on June 29th, 2009 at 10:34 am

34 On June 29th, 2009, intransigentia said:

There seems to be a theme here and I’m one more case in point. A good salad needs:
greens – fresh and young. I like spinach
crunchy – croutons or nuts/seeds. If I’m feeling ambitious I’ll dry-fry them with salt/pepper/spices
crispy – peppers and/or cucumbers
sweet – fresh or dried fruit. I like raisins
juicy – tomatoes! nom nom nom
tangy – dressing. mine is different every time. it generally starts with balsamic vinegar and then anything can happen
salty – for me, that means feta. zomg do I ever love me some feta.

posted on June 29th, 2009 at 3:21 pm

35 On June 29th, 2009, susan said:

I love any and all salads, but I’m a total sucker for anything combining fruit, nuts, and cheese with greens and other veggies.

posted on June 29th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

36 On July 1st, 2009, merri said:

Yum reading these made me hungry. I love salads but I rarely eat them because theyre not filling enough so when I eat out, I always choose something else so I wont be hungry. Then I never make them at home either because im lazy and because things tend to go bad and forgotten in our fridge HOWEVER, I think that the best salads include spinach leaves. I like some different types of lettuce and field greens, but they cant compare to raw spinach leaves, yum. Then some walnuts or almonds and maybe some fruit, and some feta or goat’s cheese, or blue cheese, and some type of special, tasty dressing that’s not too too overpowering. Ooh although I had beets on a couple salads and those were great! Mmm maybe ill have to go buy a salad this weekend..

posted on July 1st, 2009 at 8:26 pm

37 On July 2nd, 2009, twincats said:

I’m also one who gets tired of tossing (pun intended) half my bag of greens into the compost since I’m generally the only one home to eat it and I don’t seem to eat it fast enough.

My solution is to use stuff that doesn’t go bad so fast. My most common salad is:

a handful of broccoli slaw

a handful of shredded cabbage

a handful of shredded carrot (all of which I can get in bagged form

sliced cucumber

cherry tomato

surimi

cheese

with Good Seasons Italian dressing

posted on July 2nd, 2009 at 5:54 pm

38 On July 3rd, 2009, E said:

My favourite salad combined toasted stelline pasta, crisp diced pears and pineapple, halved cherries, baby mandarin slices, nutmeg and a raspberry vinaigrette. It can also be eaten with whipped cream on top. ^^

posted on July 3rd, 2009 at 1:41 pm

39 On July 10th, 2009, Golden Age Cheese said:

This is a great idea. Mozzarella curd goes very well on salad, hand stretched and not. Have you experimented with cheddar cheese curds as well? I like the plain curds, but someone told me I had to try salad with the ranch flavored cheeses curds.

Reply to Melissa comment #16:

mmmm I’m getting some good ideas from here.

I usually just use spinach or mixed greens
carrots
thin sliced red onion
cucumbers
pumpkin seeds/ or any type of seed mix
sometimes beets to garnish.
Either Feta or Moz Cheese Curds
A few Chick Peas

For Dressings I make my own
With Olive Oil/Canola Oil
Garlic
Salt/Pepper
Honey or Honey Mustard
Dijon Mustard
Cayenne Pepper
Vinegar
Then I shake it up and mix it into the dish and it’s pretty tasty!

posted on July 10th, 2009 at 10:51 pm

40 On July 11th, 2009, Golden Age Cheese said:

Another wonderful addition to this salad would be fresh cheese curds instead of the feta if you aren’t a fan of goat cheese. Cheese curds are freshly made practically daily in many cheese factories! A way to make sure you are getting delicious fresh cheese curds is when you bite into a cheese curd and it squeeks on your back teeth. That my friends, is a fresh cheese curd that will make your salad to die for!!

posted on July 11th, 2009 at 12:17 pm

41 On November 19th, 2009, Taking the diet out of “diet foods” » The-F-Word.org said: