Salad
I eat the same salad almost every day – at the office, at home, when traveling. I’m so habituated to it that I feel a brain fog withdrawal when I go too long without. Over the years, I’ve distilled the recipe to its essence: simple, delicious, and versatile enough to pair with most meals.
The Core Four
The non-negotiable base ingredients:
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Leafy greens: Spring mix, 50/50 spring mix and spinach, or baby kale. Whole Foods brand edges out ALDI for texture and substance.
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Chopped apple: For years, I ate only Gala apples. But I’m a bit more flexible these days. Cosmic Crisp is good too. The refrigerated crunch, sweetness, and cool burst they provide is essential. The apples also serve as a sturdy anchor for fork tines when building up a bite.
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Salted sunflower seeds: Unlike larger nuts, these tiny seeds cling to individual leaves after mixing, ensuring each bite delivers a satisfying medley of textures. They’re hard to find when traveling, lurking in unpredictable grocery store corners.
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Extra virgin olive oil: A generous pour is all the dressing needed. Most days, I find that the apple’s acidity is sufficient to brighten the salad without additional acid in the dressing. ALDI’s Bono glass bottles offer the best value, but I enjoy experimenting. A premium bottle of olive oil makes an excellent gift for anyone (including me) … “something I wouldn’t buy myself but thoroughly enjoy.”
Weekend Upgrades
When I’m feeling fancy or entertaining:
- Chop the greens with a salad chopper
- Add blueberries
- Add goat cheese
- Upgrade the dressing with a splash of balsamic vinegar, fresh lemon juice, or make a proper vinaigrette
The Method
I go through two to three pound-boxes of greens and five to seven apples weekly. Everything gets thoroughly mixed in a large metal bowl – a practice I insist upon. Growing up, my parents never pre-mixed salads, so it tastes like adulthood to me: a well-dressed salad with consistent flavor in every bite. Yum!