15 Amazing Autumn Salad Recipes | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

FAQs

What can I put in my salad to make it taste better? ›

It's time to mix up your salad toppings for some textural and flavor variety! Toppings like tortilla strips, croutons and nuts offer a pleasant crunch, while creamy, salty cheeses add unique flavor. Of course, meats, beans and tofu add a protein boost, and berries and dried fruits lend a touch of sweetness.

Salad is any of a wide variety of dishes including green salads; vegetable salads; long beans; salads of pasta, legumes, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads.

The Keys to Crisp Lettuce

Lettuce actually needs a good amount of airflow, in addition to a bit of moisture (but not too much!), in order to stay crisp. That's why restaurants store their lettuce in special perforated bins that allow for air circulation while it's held in the fridge.

One of the easiest ways to get some flavour in your salad is to mix up your leaves with bright herbs that pack a punch. Plants like parsley, dill, mint and coriander can really kick your salads up a notch and give them some (much needed) depth and can give a great dose of flavour in every bite.

Think in layers: Start with your base veggies or leaves, then add a layer of dressing, a layer of crunch (try seeds or nuts), a layer of “bite” (such as cheese, chili, or pickles), followed by another layer of veggies or leaves, and so on. This way you don't have all the best bits at the top.

There are five elements to a perfect salad: greens, sweetness, creaminess, crunchiness, and dressing.

SPICES (INCLUDING PAPRIKA, POPPY SEED, CELERY SEED, BLACK PEPPER, RED PEPPER), ROMANO CHEESE (PART-SKIM COW'S MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), SALT, SESAME SEED, WHEY, GARLIC, SILICON DIOXIDE (TO MAKE FREE FLOWING), SUNFLOWER OIL, EXTRACTIVES OF PAPRIKA, NONFAT MILK SOLIDS, LACTOSE, NATURAL FLAVOR, BUTTERMILK ...

Can I season salad? ›

Salt and pepper!

Now for perhaps the most important part of a well-dressed salad: Salt and pepper. This is what that flaky salt in your cupboard is for. As you toss the salad with your hands or forks, sprinkle on salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as needed.

Appetizer salads – light, smaller-portion salads served as the first course of the meal. Side salads – to accompany the main course as a side dish; examples include potato salad and coleslaw.

Crisphead. Crisphead, or iceberg, is probably the best-known lettuce in the U.S., in part because of its shrink-wrapped presence at nearly every grocery store in the country. Look for a round, compact, pale green head.

Of course, you can always go the traditional route and top your salads with poached eggs, chicken or sardines. Yum! But you can also try white beans, chickpeas or Soisson beans (soaked overnight and cooked for 1 to 1.5 hours), and/or cooked einkorn or a handful of red rice. The added texture is delicious.

Season the greens & vegetables

Your dressing or vinaigrette may be perfectly seasoned but when added to unseasoned or raw vegetables, the overall taste of the salad may turn out bland.

Cut up a lemon, lime, or even a grapefruit into wedges and squirt it over your salad just before tossing. It's like you ordered from a fancy salad bar, without the hefty price. If you're really into tart flavors, you can also grate some of the citrus zest with a microplane and sprinkle it on top of your salad.