Easy Salad Formula

Here’s a quick, easy formula for creating salads that are delicious every time:

Greens + Fruit + Soft Cheese + Nuts

You know, like the current favorite (and getting a little tired) greens + dried cranberries + goat cheese + candied nuts.

Its a simple formula, and it always works. Lightly dress the salad with your favorite oil and vinegar based dressing to let the flavor combinations shine. Unsalted or low-salt nuts are best in a salad.

Here’s an example from my friend Laurie:

Arugula + blueberries + goat cheese + roasted peanuts (Yum, I never thought about peanuts in a salad!)

One of my favorites:

Baby spinach + strawberries + feta cheese + pecans

Other ideas:

Salad greens + cantaloupe + gorgonzola + pine nuts

Arugula + peaches + goat cheese + walnuts

Greens + apples + blue cheese + pecans

Even this:

Romaine + tomatoes (a fruit!) + avocado (creamy like soft cheese) + roasted pumpkin seeds (crunchy like nuts)

Four textures, four flavors and lots of compliments coming your way. These fun salads can jazz up a plain meal, and make leftovers shine. They look fancy, but take very little time to prepare.

What’s your favorite combination? I’d love to know!