Salads Aren’t Just for Starters

Who ever said a salad had to be little, boring and not remotely filling?

The joke that salads are the equivalent of ‘rabbit food’ usually comes to a screeching halt when I have guests for dinner.  

I don’t do anything that I’d call too fancy; rather, I just let my creative cooking mind guide me and create a salad based on what’s in season, as well as what I’ve got in the fridge from the farmer’s market or CSA!

I approach it from the mindset, too, of wanting my table to be colorful and that rich depth comes from the food, not my choice of linens.

Last night, for example, the salad was wild baby arugula, strawberries, red onion, leftover roasted carrots, basil, Heirloom tomato and some wild Coho Salmon baked in coconut oil to top it all off.

Preparing something like the example really illustrates the essence of what a salad really is.

In fact, check out the definition:

“A salad is a cold dish of various mixtures of raw or cooked vegetables, usually seasoned with oil, vinegar, or other dressing and sometimes accompanied by meat, fish, or other ingredients.“

Sounds like it hits the mark to me!

Not only is it a healthy, Paleoista option, it’s also a very time and cost effective one.   Even if you’ve got no ‘leftovers’ in the house, in the amount of time it takes to pan sear or bake whichever protein you’re going for, you’ll have plenty of time to wash and spin your lettuce, chop any raw veggies, set the table, pour some water and call the family to the table.

Plus, in the summer when you may not want to cook, but prefer something cool and crisp, the salad entree fits the bill here, too.

And don’t forget to make extra; the salad without any oil (skip the not-so-Paleo vinegar) won’t go limp in the fridge over night and will set you up for the perfect lunch tomorrow.

Cheers!