Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

[not2late]

I posted a recipe for a celery salad and that reminded me of all the wonderful non-lettuce, non-spinach salads out there.

There's coleslaw. Most of us are familiar with the creamy type coleslaw, but I have a friend who mixes thinly sliced raw cabbage with chopped fresh herbs, a chopped chili pepper (jalapeno, poblano, etc.), olive oil and lemon juice. That's it! And it's really refreshing, light and tasty.

The celery salad is a creamy coleslaw substituting celery for the cabbage. It's just thinly sliced onion (1 cup) and thinly sliced celery (about 3 cups) tossed with 1/2 cup mayo, the juice of half a lime or lemon, salt, pepper and a couple teaspoons Dijon mustard. It's very tasty and crunchy.

Another celery salad is an almost Waldorf Salad. Waldorf Salad is traditionally, chopped celery, chopped apple, walnuts mixed with enough mayonnaise lightly coat the ingredients. Substitute jicama for the apple and nix the walnuts to make the salad Induction friendly. If you really want that walnut flavor, mix a teaspoon or two of walnut oil into the mayonnaise.

Jicama, thinly sliced into match sticks, combined with a red pepper, also thinly sliced into match sticks, is terrific when dressed with alittle lime juice and olive oil. Add a hot chili for extra spice.

Radish and onion salad is another Induction-type salad. Thinly slice the radishes and the onions. Then mix with enough sour cream to lightly coat. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Sliced hard boiled eggs can also be added to the salad.

[PaulaMM]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

Nice post, Megs! I especially like your jicama and almost Waldorf ideas. MMmmmm.

I have also found that jicama, cut into chunky matchsticks, sprinkled or tossed with lime juice, salt, chili powder, and just a smidgen of Splenda makes an awesome side dish/snack.

[not2late]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

I thought of a few more non-lettuce salads:

Cucumber salad: sliced cucumber tossed with oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper. Or sliced cucumbers mixed with enough sour cream to lightly coat them. If you thinly, thinly slice the cucumbers and mix them with the sour cream and add some chopped fresh mint, it's something similar to a raita---the Indian cucumber salad.

Pepper salad: roasted or lightly sauteed sweet peppers, dressed with oil, alittle lemon juice or vinegar, salt, pepper and maybe some garlic. Serve it warm or cold.

Cauliflower salad: there's a roasted cauliflower recipe floating around these forums. Make extra and dress the leftover with just enough sour cream, mayo or olive oil to lightly coat and serve cold.

[ValidRouge]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

I love cauliflower salad made like what I formerly ate as potato salad

Cook the cauli and cut into pieces, mix with mayo, dill weed, a tad of mustard, pickles, olives, boiled egg. Yummy.

I've been eating jicama and walnuts on my traditional lettuce salads...along with some bell peppers and other "crunchy" veggies. So, this waldorf salad thing has me thinking...and drooling.

[not2late]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

Waldorf Salad is pretty good. The jicama does a good job subbing for the apple. But even now on Pre-Maintenance, I use a 50-50 mix of apple and jicama whenever I make the Waldorf salad.

I also like a chopped tomato salad: coarsely chopped and seeded tomatoes with coarsely chopped sweet peppers, olives and onions. It's like a salsa, but it's not as 'saucy' and it goes great with grilled food or roasted food. Leftovers are a good omelette filling.

[HeidiE]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

I love to make fresh salsa with lots of lime and cilantro then at the last moment toss in some fresh bay shrimp (tiny ones) that is a lettuceless salad I believe but I usually serve it on lettuce cups

[not2late]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

Heidi, that's how I make my seafood salads: a chopped tomato salad mixed cooked seafood (shrimp, scallops, squid rings, firm fish like cod, etc.) and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. Delicious!

[biogeek]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

Thanks Megs!!! I hate buying lettuce because it seems to wilt so quickly in the fridge. DH doesn't want spinach b/c he's still nervous about the E.coli thing. Your recipes will certainly jazz up our veggie intake & in new ways, too!!!!!

[not2late]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

Biogeek, almost any veggie can be made into a salad. They can be raw or lightly cooked; served warm or cold. And the great thing about non-lettuce salads is that they can be made ahead, dressed, and you don't have to worry about wilting greens.

When I do outdoor grilling (in warmer weather...not this cold stuff we're having now....brrrrr!), I usually grill a few veggies like onions, peppers, eggplant, and zucchini. I take the leftovers chop them into cubes, douse them with olive oil, add a little garlic, and alittle lemon juice and let it marinade in the frig. Delicious.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

I like making Russian salad with pickles, chopped hard boiled egg, tuna, tomatoes, green beans... what you fancy, but leaving out the potatoes. I lighten the mayo with lemon juice. I know most of these are cooked veggies, but you can put other stuff in too like celery etc.

[not2late]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

I forgot to mention another salad: shaved fennel and mushroom with parmesan. I saw Alice Waters make it for Julia Child on a tv program years ago. Here's the link that shows how to make this salad:
http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/meet/waters.html

[HeidiE]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

I forgot to mention another salad: shaved fennel and mushroom with parmesan. I saw Alice Waters make it for Julia Child on a tv program years ago. Here's the link that shows how to make this salad:
http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/meet/waters.html

I make this all the time ..and that was my favorite episode ..I miss Julia sooo much she was my first idol

[not2late]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

I miss her too, but my PBS station reruns her programs alot...

Anyhow, that fennel and mushroom salad is great because it's totally Induction friendly. AND fennel and mushroom are both on the "salad" list so eating 2 cups of it is okay to do.

[sadie147]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

I jsut got some inspiration from the meddetaranian thread (sorry for the spelling i'm tired).

Anyone ever had a greek village salad? we rarely go out for dinner but when we do it's mainly greek we go for. we live close to Greektown in toronto (between there and Little India..I have it made!): and the restaurant we go to serves this on the side rather than the lettuce based salad.

They say in this recipe to serve over salad. The traditional way is just the veggies, with no lettuce. YUM!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/good-fo...ad/detail.aspx

• 3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
  
  2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 6 black Greek olives, pitted and sliced

1. In shallow salad bowl, or on serving platter, combine tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. Sprinkle with oil, lemon juice, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle feta cheese and olives over salad. Serve.

Heres another version, without serving over salad

http://www.recipezaar.com/10943

[not2late]

Re: Salads: Lettuce Keep OUT!

Jen, that's type of Greek salad is supposedly the way they make Greek salad in Greece---NO LETTUCE!!!!!! From what I've read the lettuce addition is a Greek immigrant cooking thing.