Take salad season to the next level
Warmer months typically call for lighter bites, and one of the first things that comes to mind for many is a fresh and flavorful salad. While a salad is a quick and easy way to up your veggie intake and get food on the table in next to no time, the same formula over and over again can make mealtimes feel mundane.
Use what’s readily available
One of the nice things about salads is they are made to order said Dustin Gardner, chef at Casbah in Shadyside. Throughout the summer, he creates choices based on products from nearby Garfield Community Farm.
Recently, Gardner has been incorporating corn with greens served on a bed of Greek yogurt, peaches, pickled shallot, almond and granola with a red wine vinaigrette. Another corn-based salad has flageolet beans, greens, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, oregano and feta with white balsamic vinaigrette.
“We try to make every salad user friendly in that we can make it any way the customer wants because each is made to order,” said Gardner. “People are more in tune with what makes them feel good, and we listen to what the customer wants.”
He said adding items such as salmon and chicken and crab complement the salad.
“Most of these salads have such a good flavor that they don’t need a lot of dressing,” Gardner said.
Dress it up
But dressing can add another layer to the summer salad, said chef Brandon Gorelli, whose family owns 1844 Restaurant in Gilpin and makes its dressings.
“We look for what we have in terms of fresh vegetables and fruits and work those into our salads,” Gorelli said.
One choice has peach and arugula. Another is a Caprese salad with fresh local tomatoes, basil and a balsamic glaze.
“Summer is a perfect time for salads,” Gorelli said. “Salads are colorful. There are so many fresh ingredients readily available, and customers want lighter meals in the summer.”
Summer salads are the perfect opportunity for people to eat produce which they usually don’t get enough said Leslie Bonci of Point Breeze, a registered dietitian and owner of Active Eating Advice.
She said that when making or ordering a salad to “think outside the bag of lettuce.”
“Add cucumbers and zucchini and shredded raw beets and arugula and fresh peaches, so you will have both something sweet and something crunchy,” she said. “Salads are a way to showcase some different colors, and if you do that you won’t need a ton of dressing. Let the produce be the star.”
Bonci said to incorporate ingredients such as grape tomatoes and capers. Or add a bean-based pasta or chickpeas.
The power of protein
An easy way to add protein to a salad is by purchasing a rotisserie chicken or some tuna and adding them in, she said.
“Salad is the perfect option if you don’t want to cook, which in the summer a lot of people don’t want to because it’s too hot,” Bonci said. “Make enough for two meals, and only put the dressing on the part you want to eat right away. That way you can have some for another day.”
Adding fruit also helps keep one hydrated in the humid Pittsburgh summers, Bonci said.
Lupi & Leo in Hempfield, known for its loaded steak salad which has seasoned french fries and seared ribeye steak grilled with garlic herb butter, also offers lighter salad versions in the summer, manager Joann Manns said.
Also on menu are salads with scallops and salmon, as well as seared shrimp and roasted chicken. Strawberries and apples are added to mixed greens or try bacon and walnuts.
The tuna poke bowl has mixed greens, red onion, rice noodles, shredded carrot, Asian pickled cucumber, seaweed, mango and bell pepper salsa, and sesame-soy tossed sushi-style ahi tuna. It is served with ginger dressing.
“We try to have a good selection of salads,” Manns said. “Our customers love our salads year round, but especially in the summer, and there are so many options with fresh fruits and vegetables more readily available in the summer.”
Mix it up at home
To take your salads to the next level at home, think of those greens as a blank slate for creativity, and look beyond the bowl for elements that can help create new, satisfying meals. For example, Fresh Express Chopped Salad Kits are tasty and versatile salad mixtures that can also be eaten as sides with your favorite protein or used as toppers for favorites such as pizza and tostadas to help kick mealtime up a notch.
These easy Kickin’ Chicken Tostadas are made using the Kickin’ Bacon Ranch Chopped Kit, which includes garden fresh cabbage, green leaf lettuces, carrots, green onions, tortilla strips, uncured bacon bits and some heat from jalapeno ranch dressing. Just add the mixture to tostada shells topped with salsa verde chicken and avocado for a flavorful combination.
Find more ideas to elevate salad season at freshexpress.com.
Kickin’ Chicken Tostadas
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar (16 ounces) salsa verde, any heat level
2 packages (10.2 ounces each) Fresh Express Kickin’ Bacon Ranch Chopped Kit
12 tostada shells
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into ½-inch pieces
Directions
In large, covered skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in salsa verde 20 minutes, turning once, until internal temperature reaches 165 F.
Remove chicken, reserving ½-cup salsa verde; shred with two forks. Toss with reserved salsa verde.
Place salad from kit in large bowl; toss with half the salad dressing from kit. Add toppings from kit; toss to combine.
Divide salad evenly among tostada shells. Top each salad with chicken and avocado; drizzle with remaining dressing.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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