Salads and Salad Dressings

Salads  Add a nutritional boost to a meal.  Low in fat and high in other nutrients.  High in fiber.  Offer a means for additional complex carbohydrates such as adding additional fruits, whole grains, cooked dry beans and vegetables.

But, adding eggs and cheese can increase fat and/or cholesterol; use sparingly.

Choose dressings that are low in fat and sodium!

Are salads  low in calories?  low in fat and cholesterol?  low in sodium?

How many calories are in lettuce? lettuce-iceberg-i11252http://caloriecount.about.com/calories- lettuce-iceberg-i11252

How many calories are in Ranch Dressing? kraft-foods-ranch-dressing-i4115http://caloriecount.about.com/calories- kraft-foods-ranch-dressing-i4115

Total Calories 1 cup of lettuce, iceberg = 8 calories 2 Tbsp Ranch dressing = 148 calories How much dressing do you add to a salad? Reduced Fat Ranch = 45 calories Fat Free Ranch = 30 calories Which dressing should you choose?

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You can choose from the following green leaves to make a salad.

Leaf lettuce (green or red tip)  tender, delicate, and mildly flavored leaves

Iceberg lettuce mildest flavor (neutral) and crunchy texture.

Curly Endive  crunchy, slightly bitter leaves are often used to make hors d'oeuvres, but they can also be chopped and added to salads

Butterhead lettuces  buttery texture & sweet. Boston – large leaves Bibb

Boston lettuce (larger leaves)  soft, tender leaves.  soft, tender leaves.

Bibb lettuce (small leaves)  delicate, loose leaves and lots of flavor. The only downside is that it's usually expensive.

Escarole  lightly bitter flavor. Young escarole leaves are tender enough to add to salads, otherwise escarole is best cooked as a side dish or used in soups.

Cress (watercress, upland cress, curly cress, and land cress)  peppery green for salads, sandwiches, and soups; used as a garnish. Cress is highly perishable, so try to use it as soon as possible after you buy it.

Romaine  also called Cos, crisp and full of flavor; used to make Caesar salads.

Radicchio Radicchio  beautiful coloring and slightly bitter flavor, radicchio is wonderful when combined with other salad greens.  beautiful coloring and slightly bitter flavor, radicchio is wonderful when combined with other salad greens. Pronunciation: rah-DEEK-ee-oh

Arugula  peppery and slightly bitter flavor

Fresh Spinach  richest in iron, calcium and other antioxidants; slightly bitter and tender.

Dandelions = dandelion greens Dandelions = dandelion greens  somewhat bitter flavor, which Europeans appreciate more than Americans.  somewhat bitter flavor, which Europeans appreciate more than Americans.

Spring Mix  This is a mix of different young salad greens. Commercial mixes usually include arugula, mizuna, tat soi, frisee, oakleaf, red chard, radicchio, and mustard greens.  This is a mix of different young salad greens. Commercial mixes usually include arugula, mizuna, tat soi, frisee, oakleaf, red chard, radicchio, and mustard greens. Tat Soi

Lettuce leaves must be washed thoroughly!

Why?  The lettuce you buy from the supermarket came from the ground and you can't just start eating it, unless you've bought the pre-washed kind.  The pre-washed lettuce must be used within a day or two.  But, if you know how to wash and dry lettuce, it really only takes about 4 minutes to wash, dry and store lettuce.

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How to Wash Lettuce with a Core

To wash iceberg lettuce first remove the core with a paring knife.

Or hold the head of lettuce in both hands about 6 to 8 inches above a solid surface. Be sure the core end is down.

Bring the head down, hitting the core solidly on the surface.

The solid hit will separate the core from the head and it can then be easily twisted and pulled from the head.

Then break it apart with your hands. (Some heads of iceberg are much firmer than others!)

Fill a large bowl with cool water and gently place the lettuce leaves in the bowl giving them a gentle swish as you drop them in the bowl.

 After about 30 seconds of floating in the water the sand or dirt will sink to the bottom.  Gently shake the water off each leaf and place them one at a time on paper towels or a clean dish towel.  Blot the lettuce dry with some more paper towels.

Or  Run cold water into the hole and let the lettuce drain hole side down in a colander.

After draining, roll leaves up in paper towels and put them in a plastic bag.

When iceberg lettuce is washed and properly stored, it stays fresh in the refrigerator for about 5 to 6 days.

How to wash lettuce leaves Without a Core.

Romaine: cut off the base

Rinse each leaf.

Drain in a colander.

After draining, roll leaves up in paper towels and put them in a plastic bag.

When lettuce is washed and properly stored, it stays fresh in the refrigerator for about 5 to 6 days.

How to Make a Tossed Green Salad  It can be made in one large bowl or individual servings.

1. Wash fresh vegetables and fruits carefully. Drain thoroughly. Why? The water will thin the dressing.

2. Tear the greens into bite-size pieces. Why? Cutting greens with a knife may cause the edges to brown.

3. Cut other ingredients. You can grate carrots, slice cucumbers, dice green peppers and separate sliced onions into rings.

4. Toss ingredients, cover & refrigerate. Why? So it stays fresh & crisp.

5. Add the dressing just before serving or serve it separately. Why? Dressing can cause greens to wilt.

Caesar Salad This popular dish was originally created in 1924 by Italian chef Caesar Cardini at his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico and was prepared and served right at the table.

If you have never experienced "the show" that goes with table side presentation, you don't know what you missed. What an opportunity for a waiter to show off his stuff, mixing and whisking to the delight of the patrons.

For those of you who are not fans of anchovies, you may be interested in knowing the original recipe for this salad did not include them. So when the waiter asks if you want anchovies on your Caesar Salad, tell him, " No, I prefer Chef Cardini's original recipe."

What About Those Raw Eggs? Although some recipes use a raw egg, a coddled egg will give the dressing a smoother, creamier texture. How does the Reluctant Gourmet coddle an egg? Easy, bring a small pot of water to fast boil and gently place the egg into it and cook for 45 seconds.

You can buy a variety of bottled Caesar Salad dressings in your grocery store even one that has an photo of Chef Cardini on it, but none are as good as making it yourself. What about the dressing?

What about croutons? You can buy a variety of commercial croutons, but you can make your own. It's easy and the taste is far better than any crouton you can purchase. You can store the croutons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day.

There are a variety of salads!

Mixed Salads A variety of ingredients plus a light dressing can make a tossed salad, potato salad, pasta salad and coleslaw.

Arranged Salads You can invent your own without a recipe.

Molded Salads Gelatin salads often made in decorative containers. You can use different flavors with many types of ingredients. Certain ingredients such as fresh pineapple, shouldn’t be used because they’ll keep the gelatin from thickening.

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Salad Recipes Galore Vegetable-Salad-Bowl.htmlhttp:// Vegetable-Salad-Bowl.html