Salads:we prepare it with dishes, eat them in between and there are countless variants. Salads are a prominent part of our diet today. Here are the best salad facts and 5 delicious recipes.
How did salads actually originate?
In the history of salads, we actually find an emerging trend that starts with the most famous “Caesar” salad. Although some link it to Julius Caesar, it has absolutely nothing to do with it. Its origins can be traced back to Italy and was invented by Caesar Cardini (1896-1956) who left for America with his brother Alex after the First World War to try his luck. He started a restaurant there, living in San Diego, in Tijuana (Mexico).
In 1924, he was said to have run out of ingredients due to "The 4th of July" festivities at the restaurant he ran. Just at that moment, many extra guests entered his restaurant. He then prepared his first and later wildly popular Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, garlic, croutons, Parmesan cheese, eggs, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce (all he had at his disposal).
Read also: '5 ways to make your salad a little more exciting'
A lot of varieties
Although the salad trend started with just one salad, today there are so many varieties. You can vary endlessly with it. You also have different categories of salads.
In the first place, for example, there are simple salads, which consist of one ingredient and are prepared with vinaigrette, dressing or other sauce. You can think of beet salad, celery salad, cucumber salad, tomato salad, chicory salad, white and red cabbage salad and carrot salad.
In multiple salads, in addition to several types of lettuce, other ingredients (vegetables) are also used, such as pickles, chives, celery, cucumber, cabbages, bell pepper, leek, tomatoes, onion, chicory and carrot, whereby these commonly used salad vegetables are mixed together and also are made with olive oil (sometimes vinegar) based sauces to complete the story.
You also have composite salads that also use fruit, nuts, seeds, seeds, meat, fish, chicken, potatoes and more ingredients. In addition to a side dish, you can also make a complete meal salad. The variations are endless and everyone can conjure up their favorite salad.
5 delicious salad recipes
And now that your mouth is already watering, we give you 5 delicious salad recipes below that you can try.
1. Lentil salad with blue cheese and avocado
Ingredients:
- 130 grams of green lentils
- 170 grams of bulgur
- 2 red onions
- 50 grams of slivered almonds
- 2 avocados
- 5 little gem
- 130 grams of spicy blue cheese
- 1.3 liters of vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Preparation
- Heat the oven to 200 degrees and prepare the stock in a pan with a lid on it. Add the lentils and cook everything gently over medium heat for 25 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add the bulgur, drain after cooking and let it steam without the lid.
- Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and chop the flesh into small cubes. Finely chop the little gem and store it in a salad bowl. Add the bulgur, lentils, half of the avocado and half of the spicy blue cheese to the salad bowl.
- Mix in the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Divide the salad between the desired number of plates, divide the red onions and almonds over it and garnish with the remaining cheese and avocado.
2. Mexican bean salad
Ingredients
- 1 iceberg lettuce
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 500 grams of lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- teaspoon paprika powder
- 400 grams of canned kidney beans
- 300 grams of canned corn
- 2 ripe tomatoes on the vine
- 2 avocados
- 2 large tortillas
- Sunflower oil
- 100 grams of Klaverland grass cheese
- 200 grams of sour cream
Preparation
Remove the outer leaves of the iceberg lettuce from the head and cut the rest into coarse strips, then put them in a bowl of ice-cold water and set it aside.
- Peel the onions and garlic, chop the first and finely chop the second.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat with a dash of sunflower oil. To start, fry the onions in it.
- When the onions are translucent, add the garlic, along with the bay leaf. Cook for a few minutes and then add the tomato paste. Cook for a few more minutes and then add the minced meat. You can season it with salt, pepper and spices. Let everything cook on low heat.
- Heat the beans and corn in a saucepan over low heat. Cut the tomatoes and avocado into cubes and set them aside. Cut the tortillas into 8 points each. Heat a large frying pan with a good layer of oil (1.5 centimeters).
- Fry the tortilla dots until they are golden brown and crispy (watch carefully, because they also burn quickly). Drain the tortilla chips on kitchen paper and sprinkle with sea salt immediately. You can now grate the cheese. Drain the iceberg lettuce in a colander and let everything drain well.
- Then divide this over 4 plates. Divide the mincemeat mixture, bean mix, tomatoes, avocado and cheese on top. Top the salad with a few dollops of sour cream and serve with the homemade tortilla chips.
3. Mackerel salad with feta
Ingredients
- 1 head of butter lettuce
- 2 red peppers
- a quarter of a cucumber
- 4 sprigs of dill
- 1 apple
- 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 50 grams of feta (frozen)
- 2 fresh mackerel fillets
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Roast the peppers in the oven and place them in a bowl lined with cling film. Leave them like that for at least fifteen minutes.
- Grill or fry the mackerel in a pan with a good splash of oil, so that the skin does not stick. Fry the mackerel for 2 minutes on the skin side and then another minute on the other side. Also squeeze a lemon wedge on top.
- Take the skins off the peppers, remove the seeds and cut the peppers into nice slices. Make a dressing of grated apple, olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, dill and pieces of cucumber.
- Place the lettuce on the plate, pour the dressing over it and place the bell pepper and crispy fried mackerel on top. Garnish with a generous layer of grated (frozen) feta cheese and the tasty salad is ready to eat.
4. Beet salad with orange
Ingredients
- 4 red beets with leaves
- 2 bunches of watercress
- 4 oranges
- 1 pomegranate
- 1 red off
- 2 tahini
- 4 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
- Cut the top of the beetroot and save it for later use. Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and let them roast on the bbq for about 1 hour.
- Distribute the watercress with the beetroot leaves over a large bowl. Peel the oranges and remove the white core. Cut the orange segments into pieces and divide them over the salad. Cut the pomegranate in half and beat out the pomegranate seeds with a spoon.
- Distribute these seeds over the salad as well. Peel the onion, cut into thin half rings and divide this over the salad as well. Peel the beets and cut them into nice parts and divide them over the salad as well. Spoon the tahini and pomegranate molasses over the salad.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top and drizzle the salad with olive oil.
5. Simple bell pepper salad
Ingredients
- 3 pointed peppers
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 red onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 100 ml white wine
- 2 sprigs of basil
Preparation
Clean the peppers and cut them into equal rings. Peel the garlic and chop it into very small pieces. Add this to the onion and chop it.
Heat the olive oil and a frying pan and stir fry the peppers, onion and garlic for a few minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and season with salt, pepper and spices.
Make small pieces of the basil leaves and sprinkle them over the dish after everything is ready.
Do you not only want to make a tasty, but also healthy salad?
There are of course many salad recipes, where there is also a difference in the number of calories and the ingredient list. If your goal is to make a healthy salad, or if you happen to be on a diet ... then it is certainly wise to look at which products you use in salads. Of course these are also delicious salads!
