Salad is often seen like a glass of water; necessary, good for you, but kind of plain and boring with not much flavour. We don’t believe in plain and boring, but what we do believe in is flavour and salads – lots of salads.
So much so, that we coined a new term – salad synergy. This is what happens when the outcome is greater than the sum of its parts. Or in kitchen-speak, when you use up small bits and pieces to make one banging dish. Three servings of roast pumpkin from last night, two leftover corn cobs, half an avocado, and a handful of cashews is hardly going to look appetising served separately. But re-roasted, de-cobbed, sliced, and tossed with a cup of brown rice and a splash of olive oil makes for the most mouth-watering Monday night meal.
You want to know something else a salad will do? Save on your washing up. Throw it all in one bowl and you’re done! This is particularly true if you are going to combine vegetables, grains, and leafy greens. Why separate the potatoes, peas and rocket when they go so well together in a warm salad with a little mayo, chopped bacon, and a few slices of radish?
And no stress if you’re running low on protein or wondering whether there are enough green beans to go around. Salad will save your bacon. Pasta, quinoa, chickpeas, or lentils add instant bulk to a meal, and sneak in those healthy fibres at the same time. Just cook up a batch of the above, add in your sparse supplies of vegetable or meat, toss with a smattering of herbs, greens, and a dressing, and voilà ! Suddenly there’s more than you can eat.
Which is a good thing. Because did we mention that some salads are perfect lunch-the-next-day choices? Well, they are. Sometimes, magic happens in your fridge overnight, especially when you’ve got leftover kale, collard greens, grilled vegetables, or quinoa stashed in there. All you need to do to make round two even better than round one is top your salad with fresh, crunchy nuts, seeds, and a drizzle of dressing just before digging in.
What more could you want in a meal? Not only is it healthy, tasty and easy, but it saves you hoarding those leftovers in the fridge till they’re furry! Keeping the family well fed has never been so simple.
