15

Apr

Iceberg Lettuce is not Your Only Choice

Filed Under (Articles) by Webmaster on 15-04-2009

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 Iceberg Lettuce isn’t Your Only Choice

 
What goes in a salad? A little of this and a little of that, but 90 percent of the time it starts with crisp, green lettuce. The question is what type of greens do you like on your salad? Let’s look at some of the different types of lettuce one can use to make the perfect salad.  
 
Building the perfect salad takes time. You work from the bottom up and all the fixings need to be just right. Lettuce is not only the building block of your salad but it makes up about 50 to 60 percent of your dish. Therefore finding the right type of lettuce to satisfy your taste buds is very important.
 
Iceberg lettuce usually tops the list because it is the most common and the easiest to find. Most restaurant salads begin with iceberg lettuce. Although this type of lettuce has very little taste it is still considered one of the favorite picks. With all the other ingredients you add you won’t even notice there’s not much taste.
 
Next in line is Bibb lettuce. This type of lettuce has a slightly sweet taste. It also has a rich green color. This type of lettuce works great as bedding for chicken or tuna salad as well as fruit salads.
 
Romaine lettuce is used most often in Cesar salads. It is a little more expensive than iceberg lettuce. Its mild taste makes it a great lettuce for salads. Romaine lettuce is a little darker in color than iceberg lettuce. The leaves are long and they have a fibrous spine that runs the entire length of each leaf.   
 
A bitter tasting lettuce such as Frisee is most often found in mixed greens. This lettuce is often mixed with Mesclun which also has a bitter taste. These lettuce leaves look like they have been chewed by a rabbit before being packaged. They are a medium green in color and the leaves are long and ragged looking.
 
Other types of greens include spinach and radicchio. Spinach has a wonderful flavor and a brilliant dark green color. One of the benefits of spinach is that color. Antioxidants are found in these darker colored leaves. Beta carotene is in abundance and can help in warding off free radicals in the body as well.
 
Radicchio is a lettuce that looks more like a cabbage. Although the leaves are long like lettuce the color and texture are more like that of a cabbage. The red to purple color and the white spine that runs through leaves give this type of lettuce the appearance of a cabbage. Radicchio is rather bitter and works better when mixed with other types of lettuce than alone.
 
Last but not least is endive. Endive is a Belgian variety of lettuce. Dark green in color the leaves are short and have a tendency to curl. Due to its mild taste, endive is chosen often for salads.
 
What type of greens do you prefer? These are just a few that you can mix and match to create the perfect salad base. Try something different the next time you prepare a salad, you might just find one you love.

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05

Apr

Cool Off with a Summer Salad

Filed Under (Articles) by Webmaster on 05-04-2009

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 Cool Off with a Summer Salad

 
With summer days come hot, humid weather and everyone trying to find a way to stay cool. Summer also means light meals that are cool and refreshing. One of the better ways to accomplish this is to have a salad. Not just any salad but a summer salad.
 
Summer salads made with fruits and vegetables are cool and refreshing. They aren’t heavy and can be quite nutritional. These salads are also easy to throw together, which is great on those days when running here and there can take its toll.
 
What works best in a summer salad? Lettuce of course tops the list. It’s cool and refreshing and even the crisp sound gives us a little relief. There are many other foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables that also work well in a summer salad.
 
Fruits and vegetables are plentiful in the summer months. Farmer’s markets, fruit and vegetable stands and even the grocery stores are filled with the wonderful smells and colors of these fresh little wonders.
 
Let’s start with vegetable salads. What vegetables make the best types of salad? Just about any will work. Tomatoes and cucumbers are some favorite vegetables. Tomatoes comes in all shapes and colors in the summer months. Everyone knows about red tomatoes, but yellow and orange are also quite popular. From cherry tomatoes to large beefy tomatoes, there’s quite a variety to choose from.
 
Peppers are also a great veggie addition to your salads. Bell peppers can add color and taste to a summer salad. Green, red, yellow, purple and orange peppers not only look pretty, but they taste great too. Don’t forget the squash and zucchini. These give your salad a little crunch and a lot of flavor.
 
What about fruit? Fruit is also in abundance during the summer months. Strawberries, raspberries, apples, peaches and pears along with fruits of the citrus family can be found very easily. 
 
Try a citrus salad. Mix oranges, lemons and limes together. Add some yogurt for a little sweetness and sprinkle on the nuts. Citrus fruits not your thing? Try strawberries, bananas and grapes. Mix in marshmallows and some whipped topping. Add a cherry or two and you have a fruit salad that will satisfy even the pickiest eater. 
 
Any number of fruits and vegetables can be tossed together to form a great summer salad. Use your imagination and concoct a different salad each day of the week. Using fresh ingredients and keeping them cool will allow you to experience the awesome taste of these salads, without sweating to death in the process.

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29

Mar

Fruit salads

Filed Under (Articles) by Webmaster on 29-03-2009

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 Fruit Salads: There’s more to Salad than Lettuce

 
When we think of a salad the first thing that comes to mind is usually lettuce. Although lettuce makes a great salad it’s not always a necessity. Salads can be made up of just about anything and fruit is a great way to change things up a bit.
 
Fruit salads consist of, you guessed it, fruit. Of course they can include lettuce if you like, but the main component is fruit. Think of all the different types of fruit we have to choose from. Now imagine all the different ways of using those fruits in luscious salads.
 
Traditional fruit salads are quick and easy to prepare. For instance if you have a couple cans of fruit cocktail in the cabinet just drain them, dump them in a salad bowl and add a few little extras. Extras can consist of whipped topping, marshmallows, nuts or even a sprinkle of coconut.
 
You can go even farther and healthier by adding fresh fruits to your fruit salads. Berries aren’t the only fruits that work well. Peaches, pears, oranges or, well just about any fruit can make a fruit salad that’s fit for any occasion.
 
Traditional fruit salads can be used as a side dish or even as a dessert on any menu. Basic fresh fruit salads can be the perfect addition to any breakfast or can be used to please that hungry stomach at snack time.
 
Another type of fruit salad is a citrus salad. Oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes all make great fruit salad ingredients. Add some additional toppings or elements and who knows you may even have the kids begging for more. These types of salads can have a little bite so add some whipped topping or a brown sugar based dressing to keep those lips from puckering up too much.
 
Exotic fruit salads are making a place on the table these days. Even less known fruits such as pomegranate, papaya, star fruit and kiwi are showing up more and more in local supermarkets. These tasty treats can make a fruit salad stand out both in presentation and taste.
 
Fruit salads are easy to make. With the many varieties of fruit available like grapes, cherries, apricots and of course all those berries you can make this type of salad a constant at the table. A fruit salad can be made simple with canned fruits, extravagant with fresh fruits or even fun with dried fruits. No matter which way you decide to go fruit salads are sure to be hit with everyone. 

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