TIP OF THE DAY: Gourmet Salad
| Every day THE NIBBLE’s chef makes lunch, and one of the requirements is that it includes a healthy salad.
To avoid “same old tossed salad” or mesclun mix boredom, we: 1. Use two different salad greens every day, from a selection that includes baby arugula, dandelion, endive, fennel, mâche, radicchio, radish, watercress and sometimes the ubiquitous yet tasty romaine. We’re fortunate that our local farmers market has a wonderful grower of the so-called Oriental greens, mizuna, red mustard and tatsoi. 2. Cherry tomatoes (try a red and yellow mix), cut in half, add flavor and color year-round. 3. Next, our chef adds a fruit, typically a julienned apple or Asian pear, or blood orange or grapefruit segments. They really brighten up the flavors! |
Your everyday salad can look like |
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| 4. Sometimes, a side of toasted nuts is served in a ramekin, so we can sprinkle them over our salad for extra flavor, protein and crunch.
5. Sometimes there are some luscious pieces of shaved Asiago, Parmesan or other hard cheese; or a ramekin of crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese. You can add whatever you have at hand: hard-cooked eggs, leftover ham or bacon, water chestnuts, etc. 6. Finally, the salad dressing: no heavy dressings, just a light vinaigrette of extra-virgin olive oil (sometimes blended with a bit of nut oil). For variety, we have a lot of flavored oils and vinegars. We love Sonoma Farm infused oils—the Blood Orange is a must—and the infused oils and vinegars from Boyajian (all NIBBLE Top Picks Of The Week). And the juices from segmenting the citrus get tossed in as well. We’re never bored, and always looking forward to the daily salad. And you don’t need a chef: This is easy stuff!
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