Never Underestimate the Greens...

I'll have you know that I thoroughly enjoy eating a "bloody as hell" (ahhh pulp fiction) steak smothered in french fried onions, mushrooms and gravy, but every now and again, I get a hankering, a downright desire and need, for a crisp and delicious green salad.

Salad has gotten a bad rep over the years, I think generally because most often at restaurants, it is served cheaply as a side dish and often features tasteless, white iceberg lettuce and a general scarcity of other vegetables. This image is no doubt familiar, but it's time to change all that - it's time to bring the green salad into the foreground and out of its current, dingy side dish dwelling.

I don't care how you slice it - iceberg lettuce is crunchy water, and if I wanted that, I would just pulverize some ice cubes and make a mixed drink...There are sooooo many types of delicious lettuces out there! Go and meet them at your local grocer and see what appeals to you tastes!

Personally, I love a good spring mix with baby spinach, arugula, and a butterhead lettuce, such as Bibb or Boston. My husband, on the other hand, likes a crunchier mouth feel and loves Romaine lettuce. Thus, we usual have a hearty mix of lettuces in our salads.

I heard once (I can't for the life of me remember where....maybe my mom? Maybe Rachel Ray...besides the point) that a good salad should have 5 elements - your lettuce(s) and then 4 other ingredients.

The salad featured in the photo above features:

• Lettuce(s)
• Cucumber
• Hard-boiled egg
• Cubed chicken breast, cooked in olive oil with garlic and Italian seasonings
• Carrots
• Gouda cheese

This salad was divine, and was easily as delicious as a slab of steak...and also, waaaay healthier. Other great salad ingredients could be:

• Avacado
• Nuts
• Sunflower Seeds
• Apple
• Pear
• Crab or Lobster
• Fish
• Steak
• Craisins
• Tomato
• Mandarin Orange
• Blueberries
  
• Grapes
• Cheese

The most important thing about creating a satisfying salad is to make it your own and be creative! Don't just grab a bag of iceberg lettuce and continue the terrible slog which has become the side salad, but instead, grab the green reins and design something delicious, and nutritious!