Simkin: Salads anything but bland and boring

Health nuts, take note: Green salads aren’t exactly enchanting, but they don’t have to be… Health nuts, take note: Green salads aren’t exactly enchanting, but they don’t have to be boring either. With a little imagination, they can be just as tasty as any other meal and can easily constitute an entire lunch or dinner.

For starters, there’s an innumerable amount of ingredient options beyond cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes. Mandarin oranges and sliced apples or pears, for instance, are great additions, as are any type of nut or dried berry. Strips of steak, chicken or fish, in addition, lend a nice amount of protein and will result in a more filling dish. I loathe all things involving hard-boiled eggs, but slicing up some of those could be an option if you don’t feel as virulently about them as I do.

One must be wary, however, of what some have termed “salad sabotage” — subverting the healthy nature of your meal with toppings high in fat, calories, sodium or any other detrimental ingredient.

Cheese and bacon bits are of course the top contenders here, but even some seemingly innocent foods lurking at the salad bar can be more injurious to your diet than you’d think.

What are croutons, for instance, if not needless carbohydrates, or salty sesame seeds but a source of excessive sodium? Fried or breaded chicken doesn’t become magically better for you when you surround it with some leaves.

Creamy, dairy-based dressings are another common culprit. Even if the nutritional content label looks reasonable, double-check the portion size:

If you’re using more than the typically recommended two tablespoons, you’ll have to multiply the calorie count accordingly.

Eschewing these toppings entirely isn’t necessary for the creation of a nutritious salad — just be mindful of the necessity of moderation.

If you’re interested in professional recipes, several restaurants offer fantastic dinner salads on theirs menus — my personal favorite being the grilled chicken, pecan and apple salad.

Make your own variation with, well, grilled chicken, pecans, apple slices and spinach  — or your choice of leafy green — as well as crumbled gorgonzola or feta cheese and dried berries. Top it with an appropriate complimentary dressing — I’d recommend a raspberry vinaigrette.

More exotically, British food blog domesticsluttery.com — despite the risqué name, it’s all cooking and interior design; the fine women behind it have merely embraced the salacious term and applied it to their enthusiasm for all things domestic — featured an intriguing shrimp and avocado sesame salad not long ago, which you can view on their website.

I’ll conclude this treatise in defense of salads with one final word of advice: The fun is portable and needs never stop. Invest in a few adorably tiny Tupperware containers so you can separately pack dressing and any toppings that are liable to get soggy if you store them with the rest of the salad.