It’s no secret that I love salad. As a vegetable devotee, it’s kind of inherent to the title. [Everyone should read a beautiful post written by my friend Rose that perfectly captured my thoughts on salad. You can read it here.]
A lot of times, I see people treat salads as a throwaway dish. This can mean many things. It can be a sad side, drowned in dressing to hide the taste of any of its components. It can be a bowl of “the kitchen sink,” with every content of the fridge thrown together in a mess. It can be deemed boring and unimaginative; someone might say, “Oh, I don’t know what to make for dinner. I guess I’ll just have a salad.”
But salad deserves more credit. With a bit of thought, it can be true foodie art – just like any kitchen creation. Food should always be thoughtful, I believe, and though a salad may require less effort to prepare, it still deserves the same attention as stirring a pot of hearty soup or blending a rich paté.
I don’t usually post recipes for salad because they feel so intuitive to me, but it occurred to me that perhaps I take that for granted. I want other people to find the invention and inspiration in a bowl full of salad.
The salad pictured above brought me a lot of joy. It felt simple, so fresh, and perfectly suited for the sunny mid-80s we enjoyed this weekend. It took some time to prepare, but sometimes I feel that the most satisfying meals are the ones you truly work for. And in total, it didn’t require more than 25 minutes.
This recipe is flexible, as salad recipes should be. The toppings of lentils and couscous can be enjoyed hot from their pots, or chilled in the fridge for a cooler taste. On this occasion, I did the latter.
lentil sauté salad [for one]
- 1/4 c green lentils, uncooked
- 1 t dried oregano
- 1 t balsamic vinegar
- pinch sea salt
- pinch pepper
- 1/4 c whole wheat couscous, uncooked
- 1 T evoo, plus more for sautéing
- baby spinach
- 1/2 c onion, chopped
- 1 c sliced mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic
- several leaves of fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 c string beans, steamed and chopped into 1″ pieces
- 2 T grated organic parmesan cheese
Cook lentils according to package directions. Stir in oregano, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper and set aside.
Cook couscous according to package directions and set aside.
Toss spinach with olive oil and set aside.
Heat a little more oil over medium heat. Sauté onions and mushrooms until soft; add garlic and sauté one minute. Remove from heat; stir in basil.
Layer on top of greens as follows: string beans, mushroom/onion mixture, couscous, lentils, parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
I followed this up with one of my new favorite sweet things: Fage 2%, dark cocoa powder, flax, and maple syrup. Stir together and enjoy a rich form of heaven. It was almost as good as the main course.
What would you put in your favorite salad? Do you see it as a thoughtful meal?
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Great post, Leslie. I love how thoughtful you are about food – right down to an “ordinary salad.” The truth is that salads are so rarely ordinary when you put so much love and care into making them.
I could not agree more – salads are so underrated! As a dedicated carnivore, a lot of my salads revolve around a meat protein of some sort…my rule of thumb is salty, sweet, meat and treat. Last night I had hanger steak, gorgonzola, pine nuts and port-poached pears on baby spinach – it was heavenly.
I also love sprinkling grated parm on salads – it adds such a nice salty flavor. :)
I’m not a fan of salads but I think this looks delicious. What is the brown color thing at the top? Is it the mushroom?
Micah,
Those are the lentils!
I don’t have a favorite salad, but I do have some favorite toppings: Swiss cheese, black beans, leftover grains (millet, quinoa, corn), avocado, hard boiled egg, spinach, cucumber, red pepper, and artichoke hearts. That would actually be pretty good altogether! If I eat salad as a meal, it needs to be hearty and served with bread products. And I eat a lot more of it as the weather warms.
i love messy salads with tons of stuff thrown in. i like to make it a decorative art piece. i guess its sort of a garbage salad tho. hmm lots of greens with any beans i could find.. tempeh.. squash…beets.. caramelized onions.. cukes… artichokes..red onions.. egg.. avocado.. lol everything!
Great post! I’m actually about to write about turning salad into a nutritionally dense meal — I hate throwaway combos of lettuce and, well, more lettuce!