(FUN) Salad
To be honest it can be difficult to make salads fun; but not impossible. I eat a salad almost every day for lunch. Not even primarily for the health benefits, I actually crave salads. To build a Fun Salad I focus on a few important attributes. I always have crunch, acidity, sweetness, and protein. There are an infinite number of ways to achieve all of these attributes so get creative and let the fun begin.
September in NC is when it is finally cooling off and I start to think about fall vegetables. In my opinion, there is no better way to showcase fall vegetables than a salad. Keep reading to find out how I make it a (FUN) Salad.
I have written the recipe to serve 4 people. I would consider it a larger portion of salad so if
you are serving as a side salad, be mindful of that. This is a salad I would prep on Sunday night for lunch throughout the week. Prep and store the ingredients ahead of time and assemble the salad as you go. This could also be a healthy dinner option. Add grilled chicken or roasted salmon. I typically add tuna to my lunch salads. You can find all sorts of fun tuna packet flavors to spice up your salads. I used a ‘herb and garlic’ tuna packet to add protein to my salad. There are multiple ways to prepare the root vegetables for this salad so go with your favorite method. My preferred method of consuming beets is pickled. When I was a child, you couldn’t get me to eat a pickled beet for any amount of bribery, no matter how much my grandmother tried. Now I find myself craving them. I haven’t made my own pickled beets but there are plenty of good, jarred options. I have also seen many recipes for roasted beets. Radishes can be off-putting for some. I have made my own pickled radishes using a simple quick pickle recipe and had great success. For this recipe I keep them raw because I want that sharp peppery bite. Sweet potatoes are my favorite root vegetable. I like them roasted, air fried, French fried, in a casserole, in a pie, baked, etc. I could keep going. For this salad I put them in the air fryer tossed with cinnamon and cayenne which gives a “Red Hots” candy flavor that I really enjoy. Carrots are easy enough, but you can get creative with them as well. If you have an empty jar of pickled jalapenos put some carrots sticks in the leftover brine and leave in fridge overnight for spicy carrot sticks.
The dressing for this salad is a major highlight. Jamie’s Poppyseed Dressing is sweet, savory,
acidic and a great compliment to this salad among other things. You will find this dressing
served alongside other amazing salads and lunch options at Broad Street Deli in Dunn, NC. I
have been going to Broad Street Deli since my time attending Campbell University in 2009. I
invite you to check it out and say hello to the owner Jamie Adkins and her fantastic staff, tell
them I sent you! Also, as the packaging reminds you, smile and check for poppyseeds.
Find the full recipe in your September (FUN)damental Foodie Box.
For Full Air Fryer Sweet Potato recipe click here: Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes