The formula for all salads

Being at home day after day without anything else to do rather than eating and watching TV has made some damaged. Don't worry; everything is under control. There is a way out for all those extra kilos you put on due to the imposed sedentary lifestyle we experienced last year. You can become a master of salads!

Foto de Comida creado por timolina — www.freepik.es

Eating healthy is essencial when we want to lose weight but it is also important in everyday life in order to keep your body regulated in many ways. A balanced diet sustained in time will improve your performance and reduced many complaints as intestinal discomfort or poor skin. Yes, whether you want to be a tiger in bed or forget about your indigestion tablets, healthy food is the start. Healthy food is often seen as boring food because it often means that you will have to avoid fat and sugary things. And if you decide to reduce your consumption of animal proteins, it looks even worse. On top of that, you might not enjoy cooking, so thinking about preparing something new can be a hazard.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Fortunately, we have a simple and quick solution that can be adapted to any palate. We have to lose our fear of salads.

The basic recipe for a salad is lettuce, tomato and onion. That's going to be our reference to create the formula for all salads. Instead of feeling overwelm with ingredients, we will only have to think about three parts that combine give you the ultimate salad.

We will assume that all fruits, vegetables and legumes are good for you, and we are only going to focus on the taste. If you have specific dietary restrictions, this algorithm of recipe will allow you to adapt them.

Part 1 — Tasteless and bitter (Lettuce)

The first part of the ingredients is the bitter base. Here is where we use food with plain flavours. There is a great variety of greens that you can use and even combine, like arugula, spinach or baby leaf. But it's not only greens. You can also use grains and cereals. Lately, people are very fond of quinoa. It sounds fancy and very Instagramable. I, personally, prefer couscous. It is fast to cook, and it has a certain nutty smell that I quite like. You can also think of legumes like chickpeas or green beans, which will provide you with a good portion of proteins. And if you are looking for something fresher, you can try mozzarella: a cheese with high protein content but quite tasteless at the same time.

Part 2 — Sweet and sour (Tomato)

This is the savoury part, if you ask me. In this case, we are looking at juicy products that resemble the tomato. Imagine you forgot to buy those cherry tomatoes you love. Maybe you have kiwi or strawberries instead. They are also sweet and sour, and they provide some nice vitamins and easily digestible carbohydrates. But don't forget about other watery and sweet vegetables like red bell peppers or cucumber. And please, experiment with fruit. You will thank me later.

Part 3 — Aromatic (Onion)

This last part of the ingredients might not seem so important as the other two, but it actually has a lot of influence on the final result. I am not a great supporter of onions, but I must admit that small amounts can be the difference between a tasty meal and a sad salad. In this group of ingredients, we would include spring onions, of course, and anything with an aromatic aftertaste like fresh basil, parsley or even radish.

If you think about it, most salad dressings have a similar flavour combination. The soft taste of olive oil, the aromatic quality of salt and the sourness of vinegar. Some of them even have a sweet and sour component, like the balsamic vinegar glaze.

I will give you some examples that show what I mean.

Caprese salad

Part 1 — Mozzarella

Part 2 — Tomato

Part 3 — Fresh basil

Dressing: olive oil (1), tomato juice (2) and salt (3)

Couscous salad

Part 1 — Couscous

Part 2 — Tomato, avocado, red bell pepper, feta cheese

Part 3 — Parsley

Dressing: olive oil (1), lemon juice (2) and salt (3)

Summer salad

Part 1 — Mix of greens and nuts (sunflower seeds, cashew nuts)

Part 2 — Strawberries and cucumber

Part 3 — Spring onion

Dressing: olive oil (1), white vinegar and balsamic glaze (2) and salt (3)

Now you have the power of salad. You can design salads according to your preferences or according to whatever you have in your fridge. You can stop wasting food just because you don't have the right ingredients for a recipe, or you can show off your culinary skills in front of your friends. Use it wisely.