Salad night! Give me ideas...

[Anonymous]

One of my kids has proposed a salad night for dinner and I love this idea. But I am trying to figure out how to make it a success/repeatable.

I would like two proteins (ideally) and then input from them on other toppings. One doesn't eat cheese and is big into Asian flavors so I want to include some things she likes.

I make my own dressings so if there are any dressings you love, please let me know.

Looking forward to some tips!

[Anonymous]

You can have a main base of greens for everyone and then a variety of toppings and several dressings to make everyone happy. For example, maybe grilled chicken since it's versatile, then chopped egg, bacon, tomato, and cheese for a cobb-style approach and also chopped scallion, mandarin orange slices, cabbage, peanuts, and maybe sprouts or bok choy for a more Asian-style salad. Blue cheese or ranch dressing for the cobb and something with sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, etc. for the other? Bake some crusty bread to go along with it - I love those partially-baked loaves you can buy and finish making at home. Sounds great!

[Anonymous]

One salad that meets everyone's needs? Or a selection of things you could offer and everyone makes their own, like Chopt or Devon & Blakely?

[Anonymous]

I make 2 dinner salads. One is a taco salad using ground turkey +taco seasoning. In the greens, I add red onion,Kalamata olives, cucumbers and cheddar cheese + vinaigrette dressing. The other is a spicy grilled chicken over salad greens. I find a recipe for a dry spice mix using cayenne, paprika, garlic powder and salt. Again, the dressing is a vinaigrette which I prefer.

[Anonymous]

If you want to do asian, this is what I do:

- Some type of grain, I especially like black forbidden rice, but ramen noodles or jasmine rice would work as well.
- grilled chicken and roasted salmon
- something crunchy - peanuts, crispy won ton noodles, sesame seeds...
- greens
- a whole bunch of chopped raw vegetables - cucumber, snap peas, carrots, broccoli slaw, bell peppers, green beans, green onions... whatever your family likes
- dressing with soy, veg oil, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper, a little sugar.

I put everything out on the counter and then everyone makes their own, exactly the way the like it.

[Anonymous]

Chicken, mango, tomato, cashews, ginger vinaigrette on whatever greens you like

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One salad that meets everyone's needs? Or a selection of things you could offer and everyone makes their own, like Chopt or Devon & Blakely?

Yes, a selection and then everyone can mix and match. I like the "themes" people are offering. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I make a dressing with nuts, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, fish sauce, and lots of lime juice or rice vinegar, and maybe a little sugar or honey.

Great on anything - e.g. chopped cabbage, peppers, cucumber...

[Anonymous]

I'd do cubed roasted tofu and poached chicken. Then also include quinoa.

[Anonymous]

Tonight I made Turkish meatballs and put them over salad greens with a spicy tahini-yogurt dressing. It was a huge hit.

[Anonymous]

Vietnamese meatballs served over shredded cabbage, butter lettuce, cukes, and pickled daikon and carrots. A light vinaigrette with lime and rice vinegar and sesame oil. Add fried wontons for extra crunch or just serve with baguette

[Anonymous]

Chopped greens (I just get an “Asian chopped salad” mix), Thai peanut sauce for dressing, rotisserie chicken, gojuchang cucumbers.

[Anonymous]

All of you are so impressive! I want to eat at your houses.

[Anonymous]

This is one of my favorites: https://pinchofyum.com/cashew-crunch-salad-with-sesame-dressing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is one of my favorites: https://pinchofyum.com/cashew-crunch-salad-with-sesame-dressing

NP here. This looks so good! Going to try it next week. Adding mandarin oranges.