# Alternate Salads



## UniqueOldGal (Mar 7, 2012)

I could not find a thread for Salads when I searched so forgive me if there IS one somewhere!

Years ago I began a tradition of "Hard Salad" when I had no lettuce but lots of other things in the fridge. We were having a "heavy" dinner like enchiladas or lasagna and I felt the need for a "fresh" touch added to the meal. It's become a regular for us. I simply chopped up green onion,thin sliced carrot,celery and red pepper chunks and the the last bit of a cabbage I had and plunked it in a bowl. I may have added some sunflower nuts but don't remember. It was a very good crunchy cool salad with our usual dressing on it! It was real good with the gooey heavy main dish.

A common old favorite is a carrot,raisin,mayo mix and there's also good ol home made kraut! 
What have YOU come up with? Any interesting sprout or fresh spinach ideas?


----------



## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, this and that from frig, white vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper with a glop of mayo to bind.


----------



## lovetogrow (Jan 25, 2011)

Just made a nice spinach salad tonight:

spinach
toasted walnut (or nut of choice)
mandarine orange slices
goat cheese (optional)

Dress with a red wine olive oil vinegar sweetened with your choice of sweetener (sugar, honey...)

Another nice addition to a spinach salad is poached pears (poach in light syrup of your choice) and candied pecans. Dress with a light apple cider olive oil mix.

Candied Pecans

1 egg white
1 c. sugar
1 lb. pecans
1 tbsp water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

mix whites with water
sprinkle on sugar, cinnamon, salt mixture and toss

Bake on sheet for 1 hour at 250 dgr. - stir every 15 minutes


----------



## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

We (hubs, Bub and I) don't like lettuce so I replace it with cabbage. Add carrots, radishes turnips, whatever left over meat is in the fridge. 

Sent from my MB886 using Survival Forum mobile app


----------



## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Give me a wilted lettuce/spinach salad any day.


----------



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Diced tomatoes, chopped jalapenos and cilantro or parsley then add some chopped/crushed bacon bits. A little mayo - optional!

Diced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil.


----------



## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Cabbage and Broccoli in any way, shape and form for me!

Edible greens are everywhere when you know what to look for


----------



## bigg777 (Mar 18, 2013)

*Greek Salad w/ no Lettuce* (or with lettuce)

Chopped Tomato
Chopped Bell Pepper
Chopped Sweet Onion
Chopped Cucumber
Halved, Pitted Kalamata Olives
Crumbled Feta Cheese

Rough chop all veggies, add olives & feta.

Dress with a Lemon, Red Wine Vinegar, Garlic, Oregano & Olive Oil Vinaigrette.

Salt & Pepper to taste.

It is just as good the next day. Enjoy!


----------



## notyermomma (Feb 11, 2014)

I suspect the "hard" salads are healthier because they give the stomach and gut more fiber to chew on. 

:tmi:

I cook for one and find that I don't always get through a head of lettuce in time. Sometimes I'll cook the remainder up as I would any other greens. For salad, I like to use the shredded "broccoli slaw" as a base. It lasts longer in the fridge and has the above benefit. It doesn't cook up as well as other shredded veggies though.

I go through a lot of salad and try to shake up the routine. I often make my own dressings from scratch to sidestep the commercial chemicals and sugars. I also enjoy a weekly ritual of going to the farmer's market and picking up one item of the weirdest thing I can find and experiment with it. So my salads usually consist of ... whatever.


----------



## gam46 (Jan 24, 2011)

Especially for winter I like to use fresh sprouts, mostly lentil sprouts. Also find that cabbage shredded on a mandoline subs beautifully for non-seasonal lettuce. Many canned veggies as well as cooked dry beans are good salad components.


----------



## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I do not like spinach in my salad, I know it is good for you, so is B12, but not on my salad.
I want lettuce, leaf,head or romaine, but collards,kale,mustard,spinach, beet or turnips top are not for my salad.
These are pot herbs. Now fresh mint, basil, oregano leaves or lemon grass will give a bright touch to a salad.
Fresh blue berries,raspberries or black berries are great straight from the garden.
A few raw asparagus spear snapped to 3/4 of an inch is good too.
Green peanuts or green shelled field peas,fresh raw corn, but not soybeans.
These go good with your old salad stand by.


----------



## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

1/3 green bell pepper
1/3 red bell pepper
1/3 yellow bell pepper

Large wedge red onion
1/3 cucumber (or half small one)
1/3 large tomato
(other stuff if one has it)

one cup of basalmic vinegar, two or three tablespoons of lemon juice, some spices and a few tablespoons of virgin olive oil. Salad

1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
one or two zucchini
large wedge red onion
large wedge yellow onion
(celery) optional

Cut veggie stuff in chunks or cubes etc.

one can tomato sauce (15 oz.) one can tomato paste (4-6 oz. can) some spices, a few or several tablespoons of virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. 

Put stuff in sauce and low heat to simmer until it bubbles and gently splatters sauce. Eat it in a pasta bowl, or paper bowl, or styrofoam cup. 

Can also add chicken meatballs, dump it on brown rice or pasta. 

Let's see Rachel Ray do that in under 30 minutes and under $30!! A single man can survive.


----------



## notyermomma (Feb 11, 2014)

It's not very good in terms of recipes, but Helen Nearing's book Simple Food For The Good Life is a great read for the history of western cuisines and fine literature surrounding it. In her chapter on salads she copies some recipes verbatim from medieval cookbooks, complete with the original spellings.

I recommend it. In fact, far anyone into homesteading and survival, I'd recommend anything she and her husband wrote, and their general life stories. Without knowing it, they founded the modern voluntary simplicity movement.


----------



## notyermomma (Feb 11, 2014)

But back to salads ...

During the summer I like to keep glass jars of beans, penne, quinoa, or other related protein/carbs going in the fridge. That way when I make a salad I can throw in a handful of whatever to to make it more substantial. 

It's one facet of what I call "idiot proofing." I prefer to eat everything from scratch, so I make it as convenient in the moment as I can to save work at the last minute when I may be in a rush. Or getting into a rut and eating the same thing all the time.


----------

