Dining and Cooking
Mediterranean Diet

Trying to Up My Salad Game


Having grown up on iceberg with grape tomatoes and maaaaybe a green olive, and the ever-present Wishbone Blue Cheese dressing, making salads more interesting has been a really fun way of diving into this way of eating. With poached melon, boursin, red beets and balsamic, this one is a flavor bomb! Recipe in comments.

by foxyplatypus

5 Comments

  1. Salty-Jaguar-2346

    If you’re trying to up the salad game, chickpeas, feta, and avocado make a nice combo. I learned recently from NYT that the ratio of greens to other stuff should be 50/50.

  2. Salty-Jaguar-2346

    Also I love soft lettuces with fresh berries, crumbled goat or blue cheese, some nuts and a nice balsamic.

  3. foxyplatypus

    A simple salad, truly–but loaded with nutrients and complex flavors. Makes 2 salads:

    For poached melon:

    1/2 cup cantaloupe melon, sliced into flat squares

    100% pomegranate juice, enough to just cover melon in a small pan or pot

    1 tbsp red wine vinegar

    2 tbsp mulling spices

    1. Place mulling spices in a disposable paper tea bag or cheesecloth pouch
    2. Place pouch and ingredients in pan or pot and heat to simmer. Let simmer 5-7 minutes, remove pouch, drain. Let melon cool a bit before adding to salad.

    Salad ingredients:

    Spring mix – about two handfuls per bowl

    4 red beets, halved then sliced

    16 mozzarella pearls, 8 per bowl

    1-2 tbsp shallot and chive boursin per bowl

    1 tbsp balsamic glaze per bowl – I used one from the store that’s just balsamic concentrate with cane sugar

    1 tbsp EVOO per bowl

    1 tsp crispy pancetta per bowl

    Sea salt

    1. Make crispy pancetta by sauteeing cubed pancetta in olive oil until just crisped–remove from heat and oil immediately to avoid burning.
    2. Add beets, cheeses, melon, and pancetta to spring mix. Sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt, then top with balsamic glaze and olive oil. Enjoy!

    Edited for formatting.

  5. chachalatteda

    I love beets and Brussels sprouts that are roasted with garlic and olive oil. Once cool, I add avocado, lettuce of choice, garbanzo beans, Vidalia onion, cucumber, balsamic vinegar, evoo and salt/pepper.

    I also like adding some farro or quinoa. Maybe there’s not enough garlic or I need some different seasoning but this is so yummy.

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