I picked the first lettuce out of my garden last week. Since that's all I'm getting right now, I'm thinking a lot about salads.
But even before I had my own lettuce, I had been getting into main-dish salads this year.
Usually, I include a meat plus a bunch of greens and other raw vegetables. But I've also experimented with different fruits, cheeses and nuts.
First, I like main-dish salads because of their simplicity. Saute chicken or other meat, cut up vegetables and serve with a dressing. Even when I make the dressing, it's easy to everything in 30 minutes.
Second, I like main-dish salads because of their versatility. They accommodate different taste buds. Everyone can add their own dressing to create different flavors. They are also versatile in their composition, with endless variations. Almost any vegetable that can be eaten raw can be used, so it's a rare night when I don't have the makings of a quick dinner in the fridge.
Third, I like these salads because they are an easy way to load up on vegetables, making them generally healthy. Sure, you can overdo the dressing or other fattening extras, but with the right proportion of (a lot of) vegetables to meat and other ingredients, I usually end up with something that's pretty darned nutritious.
For my salads, I usually start with the regular vegetables I keep around. Onions and red peppers go in almost every salad. Cucumbers and carrots are standard, too. This month, I've been adding a lot of fresh spring radishes from the farmers market.
Some of the best salads, though, venture beyond the usual suspects.
I've made a really great salad with seared tuna, fresh orange segments and avocado that's served with vinaigrette made with orange juice.
Chunks of avocado improve just about any salad; they add creaminess. A lot of people only pair avocado with delicate fish or chicken. But it stands up to beef, too, as in a salad with leftover pieces of steak and avocado with cilantro and lime juice. Later this summer, you can throw in some corn.
Shrimp make a great main-dish salad. Try them with black olives and feta cheese. Shrimp, asparagus and hard-cooked eggs is another good combination.
One thing about proteins: They almost always taste better grilled with a few spices. The next time you're grilling, throw on a few extra steaks or pieces of chicken and save the leftovers for salad.
Here are a few other ideas for perking up a main-dish salad:
l Cheese: Small amounts of feta, fresh goat cheese and Maytag blue cheese can really liven up a salad.
l Nuts: Toasted nuts add another dimension. Walnuts, pecans, slivered almonds and pine nuts are all good choices.
l Fruit: You have to be careful not to turn your meal into a fruit salad. You also have to watch what fruit is paired with what meat. But fruit can really kick a salad up a notch. Citrus goes with any seafood. Dried cranberries are great with chicken, as are blueberries. Pineapple goes well with beef. Mangoes go well with just about everything.
l Croutons: If you need some dry crunch, croutons do the trick. But as good as they taste, I usually skip them. If I wanted bread, I'd have a sandwich.
l Cooked potatoes, rice or pasta: They're good at filling you up.
l Cooked beans: They're better at filling you up, and usually offer more nutrition than potatoes, rice or pasta.
When I add starch or beans, I don't need lettuce -- like my recipe a few weeks ago for tuna white-bean salad. Of course, then I'd have to figure out what to do with all those leafy greens I have growing in my garden.
mhastings@wsjournal.com
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