A Salad Bar of Your Own!

So what about that salad bar? Whether it's a first course, main course, side dish or last course, all you need for a great salad is your favourite ingredients and a little imagination! Start by selecting greens that tantalize your taste buds. Delicate and mild or slightly bitter, tender or crisp, greens pack a lot of flavour and texture, especially when different varieties are mixed together for more colour, flavour, vitamins and minerals.

Then have a wide assortment of raw, grilled, blanched or canned vegetables: green beans, snow peas, mushrooms, baby corn, bean sprouts, sweet peppers—red, green, yellow and orange, black or green olives, bamboo shoots, tomato wedges, whatever you want! Fruits and nuts also add flair to a salad: grapes or raisins, apples, citrus fruit, berries and nuts of all kinds. Contrasting tastes and textures make for a memorable salad...bitter greens tossed with fresh raspberries or ground cherries, shaved Parmesan and a dressing with a hint of sweetness absolutely bursts with mouth-filling flavour!

For a satisfying main course salad, provide more filling ingredients as well: chick peas, kidney beans, whole kernel corn, cubed cheddar, feta, or other cheese, hard-boiled eggs, canned tuna, salmon or sardines, diced tofu, chicken, turkey or ham, and that ever-popular classic, bacon bits!

All that's left to add are some crunchy garlic or paprika croutons and, of course, salad dressings. Why not try Merit Selection Irresistible salad dressings? Or be really daring and create your own! Olive oil, sesame, peanut or walnut oil, wine vinegar, cider, rice, balsamic or fruit-infused vinegar, honey, cream, yogurt, and lemon juice—the possibilities are endless!

There! Now your salad bar is up and running! The beauty of this self-serve solution is that everyone in the family has it their way and you have no complaints, no waste, no muss and no fuss!

• Apple-Grape Salad with Mixed Greens
• Summer Bounty Chef’s Salad
• Honey-Dressed Chicory and Endives