Elements of a Green Salad

By Andrea Wilson | October 5, 2022

Build the base of your salad with:

Mild Lettuce

  • Romaine/Cos
  • Baby Gem/Little Gem
  • Butter/Boston/Bibb
  • Oakleaf
  • Loose Leaf/Green Leaf/Red Leaf
  • Mâche/Lamb's Lettuce (expensive, but so delicious if you can get it)
  • Escarole (use the tender heart not the tougher leaf ends)

Other Mild Greens (Mix with Mild Lettuce or Use as a Base)

  • Baby Beet Greens
  • Baby Spinach
  • Baby Tatsoi
  • Alfalfa Sprouts
  • Red/Green Cabbage

Bitter, Tart or Peppery Greens (Use Sparingly to Add Bite, Interest and Liveliness)

  • Radicchio
  • Endive
  • Arugala/Rocket
  • Cress/Water Cress
  • Chicory
  • Sorrel
  • Nasturtium Leaves
  • Peppery Sprouts, like Radish

Leafy Herbs (Intense Flavour; Use Sparingly)

  • Mint
  • Basil
  • Tarragon
  • Dill
  • Fennel
  • Parsley
  • Cilantro/Coriander

Okay, now that your base is done you can add:

Raw vegetables like carrots (a bit high in carbs, but probably okay when eaten raw in a salad), zucchini, summer squash, cucumber, celery, bell peppers, mini sweet peppers, mushrooms, radishes, raw peas, sugar snap peas, snow peas, tomatoes (technically a fruit, so be careful of the carbs), etc. Chop, dice, grate, julienne, sliver... or make ribbons using a potato peeler (speedy peeler, Swiss peeler). You can add raw cauliflower or broccoli, but these can be hard to digest.

Cooked vegetables that hold their shape well when tossed in a salad, like asparagus and peas. Cooked peas are not low-carb, but a few in a salad shouldn't be an issue for most people. A quarter cup of cooked peas has 6.3 total carbs.

Fruit: avocado (very low-carb), tomatoes, a few low-carb berries, pomegranate seeds. No dried fruit!

Edible flowers: for fun and colour. And people will be impressed!

Aromatics: sweet onions, red onions, green onions/spring onions/scallions, shallots, chives, garlic, raw fennel bulb. Don't go overboard with onions; watch the carbs.

Pungent or Spicy Flavours: olives, feta cheese, bleu cheese, parmesan cheese, salami, anchovies, chili peppers, dill pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi.

Protein: meat, cold steak, poultry, fish, shrimp/prawns, salami and other deli meats, sausages, Spam, corned beef, bacon, boiled eggs, tofu, cheese (be careful; some people just can't stop eating cheese, so it can stall weightloss!). Deli meats are great in a salad. And don't overlook canned meat and fish when you are in a hurry.

Here's some lovely tuna: Rio Mare Italian Chili Tuna.

Here are some divine sardines: Boneless Sardine Fillets - Smoked Jalapeno in Oil. These do contain sunflower oil and 3 gm of carbs, so do eat sparingly.

Toppings:

  • nuts, seeds (watch the carbs)
  • croutons made from low-carb bread
  • crumbled parmesan crisps
  • bacon bits
  • shaved parmesan cheese

Homemade Dressing:

Use one of these as a base:

  • oil and vinegar (3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar or citrus juice; red wine vinegar is my favourite; Balsamic vinegar is delicious, but has a lot more carbs than other vinegars)
  • mayonnaise
  • creamy salad dressing base

Add herbs and spices to suit your taste. There are tons of low-carb/keto salad dressing recipes online. Here are some of my favourites:

Commercial Dressings:

Read labels carefully. Avoid seed oils (canola, sunflower, etc.) and opt for olive oil and avocado oil. Watch for hidden sugars and starches. Primal Kitchen is consistently clean. Here are a few more: https://flavorpalooza.com/best-store-bought-keto-salad-dressings/. And there are others, too. Sir Kensington's Avocado Oil Mayonnaise and Chosen Foods Classic Mayonnaise are good.

Preparing the Salad:

Thoroughly wash leafy greens and dry well (use a salad spinner or place leaves gently in a clean tea towel or pillowcase and whirl it around your head like a crazy person on the back porch!). Tear leaves to the size you prefer and then add other ingredients and salad dressing. Mix with your hands, gently fluffing the salad to get the dressing well distributed. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.

RESOURCES:

  1. Building a Salad with Jamie Oliver
  2. Pro Home Cooks is not low-carb, so ignore the grains, dried fruit, honey, etc. in this otherwise excellent video on making salads that don't suck.
  3. Brian Lagerstrom's Big Ass Salad videos:
Posted in Elements of, Feta Cheese, How to Build a Salad, Low Carb or Keto, Maintenance, Meal Prep, Recipes, Salads

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