The Art of the Salad

Summertime…and the salads are glorious! They’ve also come a long, long way from the insipid iceberg lettuce, tomato, and (if we were lucky) cucumber ones that my mother used to serve smothered in her homemade version of a 1000-Island dressing. shudder (Sorry, Mom! 😉 )

I am a huge salad fan these days. Filled with colour, flavour, and variety, they’ve become a lunch (and often dinner) meal in and of themselves. They all pretty much start out the same way with a bed of mixed lettuces fresh from the garden (or mixed greens from the grocery if my garden isn’t producing), but after that, the kitchen cupboard and fridge provide endless possibilities. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, leftover meat or fish, cheese…I mix and match whatever I happen to have on hand (it’s a great way to use up leftovers!), top with a homemade vinaigrette, and voila! A meal is born…and it couldn’t be faster or easier.

Need some inspiration? Here are a few from the last couple of weeks:

So? How about it? Do you also make your salads into works of art, or are you of the lettuce-tomatoes-cucumber ilk? Have I perhaps convinced you to branch out? 😉

P.S. I am always looking for new salad ideas, so if you have a recipe you love, please share! 🙂