I’m just not always the biggest salad fan. They’re cold and I typically prefer warm, hearty food. They also require a lot of chewing. I couldn’t find away around the chewing, but I have figured out how to make warm, hearty salads. 

Start with a giant bowl and a good lettuce. I personally prefer red leaf to romaine and will mix in arugula or spinach when I have it. 

Heat up a dr. Praegers veggie patty. The kale kind. Fry one or two eggs and plop those on top. These are the warm, hearty bits. 

Then add whatever else is around: sundried tomatoes, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, leftover veggies, freshly roasted butternut squash (now that we all know how to do that), avocado, nutritional yeast, blueberries....set your creative salad-maker free! 

I think what REALLY won me over was discovering a super easy, delicious dressing. Here’s what I use:

Olive oil

Vinegar - Apple Cider or Fruit Vinegar

Hot pepper sesame oil (or hot pepper chili oil and sesame oil individually) 

Salt 

Pepper 

Garlic 

To be honest, I don’t measure anything. Start with the olive oil and then just add as much of each as you like. If you’re on the central coast, I can’t recommend Sideyard Shrubs fruit vinegars more highly. They make salad dressings extra delicious. Otherwise, apple cider vinegar also works great! Also, beware the HOT factor of the chili oil, it can really sneak up on you...

Voila. Salad is good. Enjoy!

Originally posted March 15, 2021.