So I’ve been eating a lot of greens, lately. I love spinach, romaine, even broccoli and peeled up brussels sprouts. Fresh basil in a salad is divine.
I’m still pretty new to salads. I mean, I’ve eaten them for years, but I only ever used to know how to make garden salad, with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, etc. I recently switched most of my lettuce to spinach, to get those darker greens in. At restaurants, I like Caesar and Greek salads, though I’ve been avoiding them lately because I have to watch my fat intake. I’ll make them at home with fat free dressings and without cheese and I mind how many olives I put on… but sometimes it just feels kind of bleh.
Tonight, I made something new and blew my own mind. I recently picked up some softer cheese from the grocery store - gorgonzola and blue - because a little goes a long way, and the fat isn’t too bad. I remembered how much I love California Pizza Kitchen’s Pear and Gorgonzola pizza. So, I broiled a halved pear with some gorgonzola on it for a few minutes, heated up some roasted garlic balsamic dressing, tossed it with some fresh spinach, sprinkled a teeny amount of bacon bits on that, then put the hot pears and gorgonzola on top, and sprinkled a touch more cheese over the whole thing. Just on a whim, I sprinkled just a dash of brown sugar onto the pears while they were still hot. Holy. Cow. And I bet it would taste beyond awesome with something like walnuts or pecans, but I have to be wary of those.
I want more ideas. Salad can taste freaking good.
I hate any greens that taste bitter.
I have handy: spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, yellow onions, carrots, red pepper, jalepeno pepper, cilantro, fresh lemons and limes, some pears, a pomegranate, fat free croutons, bacon bits, napa cabbage, leeks, green onion, garlic, and fresh ginger. And, of course, my gorgonzola and blue cheeses. And fat free cream cheese, if that helps. Limited dry spices (salt, pepper, italian seasoning, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves). As for meat, we usually keep boneless/skinless chicken boobies around here, but we’re out for the time being, but I do have some basa and mahi mahi filets.
I’m open to suggestions to add to my grocery list.
Tell me, Dopers: What are your favourite (low fat, if possible, or if possible to alter enough to be low fat) delicious salads? Or, what delicious combinations could I make using my ingredient list (and possibly some grocery shopping) above?
(I kid)
), I will have to give that soy sauce in the Italian dressing a try - I like asian-type salads. And yellow miso sounds gooooooood.
