It's the beginning of the year, which means that a lot of us are forcing ourselves to eat salads. Being healthy is very important, but it's not all that fun sometimes. But have you ever wondered if you were making a salad the right way?
It seems simple enough. Buy produce. Wash produce. Assemble produce in a bowl. And top with some cheese or a protein. Usually, salad dressing is also in the mix. America is especially fond of ranch dressing — although Thousand Island is a personal favorite of mine. Your salad may be satisfying, but it still might not be the best it can be.
Author, producer, and Instagrammer Elan Gale brought the topic of salad up on Twitter, and it'll really make you think. He believes that way too many people depend on the dressing to flavor salads. Instead, they should be using the produce itself to provide extra flavor. And yes, simple seasonings like salt can make a huge difference.
Elan started out by stating, "I’ve got some NEWS for you people about WHY your salads are dull and flavorless. Are you ready for some NEWS???" And boy, he provided. In the Twitter thread, he opened up plenty of eyes. Even Whole Foods was curious about his tweets — and the grocery brand knows produce.
Think about it — when was the last time you seasoned a cucumber? Cucumbers can be very tasty, and they're very good for you, but they're not the most exciting veggie around. Same goes for avocado. It's great as guacamole, but it's not as interesting by itself. There are ways to make it so much better.
Elan also stressed the importance of herbs. You might have put some fresh basil in your salad before, but what about everything else? Here's the good news: Herbs are generally very easy to grow. That means that you can have fresh, cheap herbs to pull and add to your salad any time of the year.
Cheese is also important. It's hard to say this, but no — not all cheese is created equal. When it comes to bringing out the flavor, feta is an excellent choice. Crumbled feta complements a ton of vegetables; it's almost like a bomb of flavor.
Elan also thinks that people are making a mistake with heavier dressings. (Sorry, Thousand Island.) In his eyes, all you need are oil and vinegar, and maybe a citrus ingredient that'll help your produce become more flavorful. He also offered a few interesting suggestions that you might never have thought of before.
As a pretty regular salad eater, I assumed he was joking when he said that horseradish was a good topping. That's definitely something you either love or hate. But everything else in the thread makes a lot of sense, so maybe he's not wrong here.
The main message is, you should never be afraid to experiment. If you see a weird vegetable at the grocery store, don't be afraid to try it and see how it'll work in a salad. The beauty of salad is that every one is slightly different. And you'll never know what might work.
It's a great resolution to make. Instead of "lose weight," a better resolution might be to "make more intriguing salads." And you never know — the more salads you make, the healthier you'll probably be. You'll also learn a lot about produce you might have originally passed up. Ask yourself this — when was the last time you had a radish?
Even celebrities like Chrissy Teigen applauded Elan's informative thread. She added her own suggestion to make things more flavorful. It's a high compliment, especially since Chrissy knows a lot about cooking and preparing good food.
Elan also got confirmation that he's actually at a friend level with Chrissy, which is big. He was being very polite when someone asked about his connection, but she made sure to set the record straight. Perhaps Elan can be featured in her next cookbook.
Others also offered a ton of suggestions. One big one is, don't be afraid to add some fruit to your salad. Mandarin slices can kick things up a notch. Berries are also a great choice. Have you ever topped your salad with strawberries and feta? It's a wonderful combination that tastes like summertime.
Speaking of feta, some people did have issues with it. And some begged friends to leave off the cheese altogether. It's the one ingredient in this particular salad that doesn't sit well with vegans. The good news is, there are always cheese alternatives out there they can use. Even red onion will flavor things up.
Elan even has his own Instagram account for food photos. So it's something he takes pretty seriously. He's quick to document dishes he's tasted, and they're not just from his own kitchen. Recently, he traveled to Tokyo for the holidays — and made everyone jealous with his food choices.
He also showcased his favorite breakfast, which looks inspiring. It's an egg, avocado, and chèvre, or goat cheese, on toast. It's the perfect way to celebrate the morning, and it will give you a great boost of protein. Plus, it's fairly simple to put together if you don't have much time on your hands. Now that Elan has showcased what's good for breakfast and what's good for lunch (a big salad of course), all you need to think about is dinner.
