A salad can be a vibrant, exciting part of your meal.
Eating a salad before your meal does not need to be a dreaded chore done only for the sake of your health. A typical salad might consist of some droopy lettuce topped with whatever salad dressing currently happens to be sitting in the door of your refrigerator. With some creativity, however, you can turn a potentially bland (or even unpleasant) course into the highlight of your meal. Tailor your salad based on your personal taste, what you have in the house and what is in season.
French Peasant Salad
Gently fry some potato slices and lay a few on a plate. Top them with a fresh salad with a lettuce of your choice tossed lightly with lemon vinaigrette. Slice a fresh, ripe tomato and arrange the slices around the edge of the plate. Sprinkle the salad with some hot, freshly fried bacon -- and drizzle some of the bacon drippings over the salad if you are not concerned about calories. Finally, top the salad with a poached egg. This filling salad, which ends up being warm from the heat of the potatoes, bacon and egg, works as either an appetizer or a main dish.
Avocado Citrus Salad
For a light, vibrant salad, choose a mild lettuce and top it with slices of ripe avocados. Add a few chunks of tomato -- heirloom if possible -- and slices of tangerine, grapefruit, orange or pomelo. Drizzle with your favorite citrus vinaigrette and finish with a sprinkle of seasoned bread crumbs or croutons. Walnuts or pine nuts add extra texture and flavor to this salad. Make this salad for summer dinners when you are looking for something tasty but not overly heavy or filling.
Goat Cheese Bacon Salad
Fry some bacon chunks. Make a goat cheese vinaigrette by whisking goat cheese into your favorite vinaigrette, then add the bacon drippings for extra flavor. Toss frisee or another light, leafy green with this vinaigrette until the leaves are thoroughly coated but not drenched. Add a handful of pomegranate seeds and the bacon chunks. Apple slices suit this salad well, especially those from moderately tart apples. This salad is not as heavy and filling as the peasant salad but not as light as the avocado citrus salad. It works best as an appetizer before a moderately filing meal.
Tags: salad with, your meal, bacon chunks, bacon drippings, goat cheese, heavy filling, some bacon