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Sneak Nutrition Part II

By: Chef Brad Petersen

Salads and Dressings
The most often prepared side dish in the world can be packed with nutrition and flavor at the same time. First we need to get rid of the ice berg lettuce and the cheap bottled dressings and start using good leaf lettuces, like spinach, romaine, and mixed greens to name a few. Fresh made dressings can be healthy and bursting with flavor, with little time spent in preparation.
Second we need to be a little more creative with the things we put on our salads, like grains and beans. Grains and beans are the perfect addition to salads. Packed with nutrition and flavor, grains and beans are easy to prepare and store well in the refrigerator. They are packed with protein and provide a great texture for any salad, from potato salad to pasta salad and everything in-between they are the perfect addition. I always have beans and grains in the frig already cooked up and ready to add to any salad.
Salads should and can be exciting and bursting with flavor. From a main dish to a side dish for a BBQ start thinking out of the box and start creating salads that excite the taste buds and compliment the body with nutrition.
I really love being creative with what I add to my salads, it can be an adventure. Fresh fruits are great in a salad. Even the savory salads can be dressed up with fresh fruit. I have found that fresh fruits are wonderful puréed and used in salad dressings. One trick I learned is to chop the vegetables really fine before adding them to the salad. I found my family picked out the vegetables and left them to the side if I didn’t chop them up really fine. Since I started chopping them up really fine, about the size of rice, and adding them to the salads, to my surprise they eat them up.
That is just what “Sneak Nutrition” is all about, experimenting until we find out what works with our families, and than enjoying the success. We should never give up at the first attempt, but keep trying until we find that happy medium between healthy and tasting great, and between what our families like to eat and what they should be eating.
Nuts are also a great addition to salads, from fruit salads to pasta salads, nuts are a nutritious addition and add texture and flavor. Try toasting them in a hot skillet to bring out the flavor is a fast and easy way to dress up a salad.
Salad Dressings are the secret to a really great salad. Have you ever gone to a party and picked out a really nice looking salad only to taste it and find it totally void of flavor? What a disappointment that can be. The best looking salad with out a great dressing is nothing but stuff in a bowl. Dressings are what make a salad really come alive. The dressing should stimulate the taste buds, but now detract from the items in the salad. The dressing should be powerful, but not overpowering. The secret is using fresh ingredients and good quality oils and vinegars. More important is that you can create dressings that not only taste great, but are good for you. Most dressings sold in bottles use pour quality oils and ingredients and if you do buy a good one, it can be expensive. I love creating dressings that bring life to what ever is in the bowl.
Salad dressings are meant to enhance the flavors of the ingredients, not hide them or overpower them and they can be healthy and nutritious and taste great. The secret is to get rid of those tasteless and not good for your bottled dressings and start making your own with fresh ingredients and good quality oils and vinegars. It’s time to make salads an interesting and healthy part of the meal instead of just lettuce and a few vegetables.



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