Food and Health Communications

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"Seasonal" Themed Salad Winter's Best

Everyone always loves classic salads like Caesar Salad, Chef's Salad, or Greek Salad. They are made with the same ingredients no matter what time of year they are offered. And while everyone loves a certain salad or even a salad dressing and the predictability this provides, it is good to consider the season and seasonal ingredients, too. My son said he is not a big fan of salad but really loves this one.Here is an idea for a winter salad based on seasonal ingredients from fall and winter.The base consists of a "super greens" mix with kale, chard, and spinach. These greens have the added bonus that they could be cooked or served raw. And what I like about them is that you can serve them for salad in the first few days after shopping and then as a steamed vegetable later in the week when they show the first signs of wilting.Since these greens are a little thick, I like to cut them into smaller pieces with the knife. I added grated and sliced root and bulb vegetables, including golden beets, carrots, onions, fennel, and ginger. They I added dried cranberries, orange zest, and toasted hazelnuts. It was tossed with a little bit of oil and vinegar. The ginger and orange zest are grated on the fine side of the grater while the carrots, beets, and fennel are sliced thin with a knife. A shallot was chopped and added for a delicate onion flavor.Oil and vinegar were used lightly and the salad was tossed. This salad went well with baked salmon and potatoes.Here are salad themed items from the Nutrition Education Store