It almost sounds like an oxymoron to me. I mean, don’t get my wrong, I love salads. Sometimes. But they can leave me feeling a little unsatisfied.
But, the past few weeks, I’ve been craving and eating lots of salad because of this one particular secret ingredient. Okay, it’s not really secret or even that unique, but it has really intensified my and my daughter’s love — and my son and husband’s somewhat semi-like (if they have to) — for my salads lately.
All you really need to make a good, hearty(ish), satisfying salad is some seeds or nuts (use more than you think you should use) cooked in butter (use more than you think you should use) and fruit. Who doesn’t love sweet and salty??
So I’ll use a small pan, add about 1 tbsp of butter, and about 1/4 cup of seeds/nuts and cook until they’re nice and brown. It’s doesn’t take long and definitely, even if you think you will remember, even if you’re walking away for just a second, DO NOT walk out of the room to do something “real quick”. And unfortunately…this wasn’t my first time but I definitely set a record with the amount of smoke that filled the kitchen. UGH. Add in some sliced apples or strawberries or blueberries to balance the salty taste from the butter and seeds (although I used salted butter and unsalted seeds, it helps to have one be salted) and then add your dressing. Add a dash of salt if neither your seeds/nuts or butter has any. As for dressing, I love to use Tessemae’s (we typically use Balsamic or Lemon Garlic). Sometimes I’ll add in a little dash of true balsamic vinegar, and a couple drops of stevia.
For the sunflower seeds, I usually get them unsalted. I use them with a lot of my meals (added on top for crunch) but will also snack on them. To me, the salt is addictive. The pumpkin seeds in the middle are from Costco. They’re great for adding to things that don’t have a lot of flavor on their own. And the Go Raw sprouted pumpkin seeds on the end are a favorite. You can get them at Whole Foods for about $18 or Vitacost.com for about $12 or less, if they having a sale. Gotta love Vitacost!
These sunflower seeds turned out a bit better, and prettier, but I think I could have used more butter. Once you cook your seeds, pour them and the butter into the salad mixture. Don’t let a drop of butter go wasted!. It makes the salad so good!
My favorite salad typically includes baby kale or spinach but you can use anything you’d like.
And be sure to use a BIG bowl for your meal. Yeah, I eat right out of this giant thing. It is a salad after all…
Happy Summer, everyone!
- 4 oz salad mix (I prefer baby kale or spinach but you can use whatever you like)
- handful of slices apples or strawberries or whatever fruit you prefer
- about 1/4 of seeds or nuts
- about 1 tbsp of butter
- salad dressing such as Tessemae's Balsamic or Lemon Garlic
- Place butter and seeds/nuts (if you use nuts, crush or chop them first) to a small pan and heat on medium heat.
- Stir every couple of minutes so they cook evenly.
- While that cooks, in a large bowl, add you greens and cut up your fruit.
- Don't forget about the seeds/nuts cooking!
- Once they are done, pour the seeds/nuts and butter "juice" onto your salad but only when you are ready to eat the salad. Otherwise it will get soggy. Plus the warm seeds/nuts make the salad extra good!
- Add dressing and mix together. We like Tesseamae's Balsamic. Sometimes I'll add a touch of balsamic vinegar and about 3 drops of stevia but play around see how you like it best!