Wednesday, February 24, 2021

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Spring Salads

"So, if I'm cooking, I'll be steaming vegetables, making some nice salad, that kind of stuff."

                                                                                             --Paul McCartney

The lessons for kids, when you teach them how to make a simple spring salad, are endless.  Possible ingredients to use.  How to select a fruit to add the perfect burst of natural sugar with each bite.  The joy of a simple vinaigrette dressing. Best meal for having a salad. Which of your favorite bowls to use?  How to display the salad?  Will it be a chopped salad, a salad nicoise-type salad, a salad bowl, or a salad bar?   Which pair of salad tongs will you use? So many choices!

Recently I bought a head of organic green leaf lettuce for a dinner salad.  Once home and in the kitchen, I thinly sliced English cucumbers, avocado slices, and cut organic seedless red grapes in half.  I topped the salad with a freshly whisked EVOO, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper vinaigrette. Simple and easy.

So, how did my salad taste, you ask?  It was awesome!!! The first bite of salad, and every consecutive bite, was like biting into Spring, all fresh and crunchy.  There is nothing like it. A spring salad with just 3 or 4 ingredients in perfect proportions.  Gently toss ingredients and place into a beautiful bowl with your favorite salad tongs. Serve with some fresh Italian or French bread and you have a beautiful meal.  

Won’t you join me in celebrating this wonderful season and all the delicious fruits and vegetables being grown by our local farmers?  The joys of spring salads await you!

With love and kindness,

Nancy Heinrich, MPH

Founder and Wellness Architect