Salad Secrets, Part 2

Now you know how to get your lettuce ready, so it's time to build the salad. I used to only make the same salad my mother always made - iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, dressing, maybe some avocado. Now I've branched out and experiment a lot -- it's tasty, nutritious and fun.

First of all, any kind of lettuce is more nutritious than iceberg -- green leaf, red leaf, romaine, spinach, whatever. Find what you like and use a variety.

Next, you can add just about anything. I buy what's on sale that week, what's in season, and/or what looks fresh and pretty. Here are some ideas:

• Tomatoes
• Onions
• Avocado
• Artichoke Hearts
• Black Olives
• Green Olives
• Celery, peppers, chopped zucchini, cucumber, any raw veggie
• Corn, raw - cut off the cob (try it!), or canned, drained, or frozen, thawed
• Sesame Seeds
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Sunflower Seeds
• Canned beans, any kind, rinsed and drained
• Sliced Pear
• Sliced Apple
• Pineapple, oranges or grapefruit
• Sliced Strawberries or any fruit
• Dried Fruit, Raisins
  
• Nuts, any kind, raw or toasted (try pistachios)
• Cheeses, any kind, grated or cubed
• Chicken, fish, beef
• Boiled eggs, sliced or chopped
• Stir-fried veggies
• Croutons or crushed tortilla chips

The sky is the limit! Basically, just see what you have in the pantry or the refrigerator, and toss it in. You'll be surprised how good it is. Try chopping or slicing in different sizes -- for instance, I don't like big pieces of cucumber, but I don't mind it when they're chopped up small. When you find an especially good combination, write it down. Here's a simple salad I "invented" that my husband loves:






Debi's Apricot Nut Salad

• Spread washed lettuce of any kind on each individual salad plate.
• Add to the top of each bed of lettuce:
• Tomato spears
• Dried apricot, snipped into small pieces with kitchen scissors, 2 or 3 per salad
• Chopped nuts - I usually use chopped walnuts, but pecans or sliced almonds would be good
• Drizzle with this dressing:
• Real mayonnaise thinned with balsamic vinegar, until it is thin enough to drizzle

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!