Insider’s Viewpoint: Pep Up Your Salad!

Pep Up Your Salad!

Welcome to salad season! For some of us, all year round is salad season – for others, our hunger for salad is just waking up after winter hibernation. Whatever the case, all of us could probably use some help pepping up our salads. Here we go!

7 Unique Salad Ideas

1. Mix Up Your Greens
   Maybe it’s time to break out of iceberg mode, or maybe you are deep into a kale habit – no matter what rut you’re in, we could all use a little more variety. Try arugula, get brave with Swiss chard, or reduce your waste by turning beet greens into a hearty salad.
2. Add Fresh Herbs
   Toss in a new kind of green – fresh herbs! A handful of freshly chopped basil, parsley, tarragon, or dill can do wonders to bring a salad from boring to bright (plus you get a burst of antioxidants to boot).
3. Skip the Green Leafys
   Or just skip those greens. Who said salad needed them? Try a mix of chopped vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, and carrots for something to keep you noshing.
4. Add Grains
   Farro, quinoa, brown rice, even steel cut oats can bring a satisfying energy to a salad that will keep you going all afternoon. Try this Roasted Asparagus & Grape Salad that features farro from Harmons’ dietitian Ashley.
5. Heat it Up
   Tossing on a warm topping can make a salad feel more like a rounded meal. Top roasted cauliflower or warm black beans or lentils to wake up your senses.
6. Change the Shape
   Tear the lettuce by hand for larger pieces, chop it into thin strips, or add spiralized veggies like zucchini, or beet “noodles.” Or make a shredded veggie salad for a new experience.
7. Treat Yourself to Something New
   Grab that special ingredient for some extra excitement in your salad: an aged cheese, a new olive, popped amaranth, flavored olive oil, spiced nuts, sundried tomatoes. Treat yourself!

Laura Holtrop Kohl MS, RD
Dietitian
City Creek Harmons
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