Green Salad Combinations

These are some great salad ingredient combinations I have discovered.

Salad Greens

All salad greens seem to go with other salad greens. "Salad greens" are often served raw and act as a bed for other salad ingredients. They also add quite a bit of texture and flavor. Mix different types of greens together for different flavor combinations, texture, and color.

Also see Types of Lettuces and Salad Greens

• For crunch, use Iceberg lettuce; Romaine lettuce; green, red, napa (Chinese cabbage) or Savoy cabbage
• For bitter greens, use Endive, escarole, raddichio, Belgian endive, dandelion greens, arugula (peppery)
• Softer leaf greens: butterhead lettuce, leaf lettuce (red leaf lettuce adds color), spinach, watercress, spring salad mix (mesclun, baby mixed greens)
• Spring greens: mesclun (baby mixed greens), baby spinach, dandelion greens
• Winter greens: Endive, escarole, raddichio, Belgian endive

Salad Dressings

• Use sturdier greens to stand up to thicker dressings
• Use lighter vinaigrettes for more delicate greens
• Warm dressings wilt the greens a bit, as in Mom's Wilted Endive Salad, so use sturdier greens for these dressings

Simple Classic Salads

Salads do not need to be complex to be phenominal. These salads use few ingredients, but have wonderful flavor.

• Iceberg Lettuce Wedges - signature salad of the 1950s when Iceberg lettuce reined supreme. Just cold, crisp Iceberg lettuce wedges with Thousand Island or French dressing. Here the Iceberg lettuce is the star.
  • The Iceberg Wedge - today's version, served in Philadelphia, is an Iceberg lettuce wedge topped with blue cheese dressing, crisp-cooked bacon pieces and chopped fresh tomatoes (blue cheese, bacon and tomatoes are a great flavor combination)
• Caesar Salad - made with just Romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese and Caesar dressing. Modern versions add grilled chicken or shrimp to make a tasty lunch or dinner salad. The dressing is what makes this salad, although you could not put this dressing on just any salad. The contrast with the simplicity of the other ingredients accentuates this dressing making it unique, and the Parmesan cheese acts as a foil against the anchovies in the dressing.
  • Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (or grilled shrimp)
• Mom's Wilted Endive Salad - uses just endive (Romaine lettuce or spinach are also good), sweet onion, bacon (& bacon grease), and vinegar. I like to add Feta cheese to mine; blue cheese and mushrooms also pairs well with the spinach and bacon version. Use a sturdier salad green for this recipe; the warm dressing will wilt the greens a bit. For instance, baby spinach will not work as well as mature spinach.
  
  
• Brian's Red Leaf Lettuce & Avocado Salad - although not a classic, Brian and I are fond of this combination - red leaf lettuce, red onion, avocado, olive oil, Balsamic vinegar. The sweet onion complements the avocado, and the avocado's creaminess goes well with the tender lettuce leaves.

Other Vegetables

• Carrots - grated carrot adds color and a sweetness to salads
• Cucumbers - adds a refreshing crunch to salads
• Radishes - add color and a peppery flavor
• Red and green bell peppers - adds color and crunch
• Sweet onions - red (adds color) and yellow onion slices
• Mushrooms - add meatiness to spinach salads and salads made with beef. Go well with sweet onions and avocados.
• Bean sprouts - alfalfa sprouts are tiny and add a nice tecture, but any fresh bean sprouts work great and add crunch
• Tomatoes - cherry and grape tomato when uncut add color and will not get tomato juice on the salad greens which ruins leftover salad. Add sliced tomatoes to individual servings

Pickles

• Pickled beets -
• Pickled artichokes -
• Olives, black and green -
• Pickled mushrooms -
• Capers -

Meats & Seafood

• Beef - pairs well with spinach, onion, fresh mushrooms, bacon, blue cheese and walnuts - in any combination. Tomatoes and peppers also pair well with beef.
  • Pepper Steak Salad (Asian flavors) - thin strips of beef with peppers, tomatoes, green onion, celery, and mushrooms served over shredded Chinese cabbage (napa cabbage) with a Teriyaki dressing and garnished with fresh bean sprouts.
• Chicken is quite versatile and goes with many other ingredients - almonds
  • Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
• Turkey & smoked turkey - dried cranberries, avocados, bacon
• Duck & smoked duck - dried cherries
• Shrimp
  • Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (but made with shrimp)
• Bacon - often used as a salty garnish, but you can't overlook that it pairs well with any salad that is made with smoked turkey or duck, beef

Cheeses

• Parmesan -
• Blue - bacon and tomatoes; apple, pears
• Feta - Kalamata olives
• Goat cheese -

Beans

Beans add protein to salads

• Chick peas (Garbonzo beans)
• Kidney beans
• Black beans

Nuts & Seeds

• Walnuts - toasted or candied
• Pecans - toasted or candied
• Almonds
• Pistachios
• Peanuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds

Fruits

• Fresh strawberries
• Oranges
• Apples - blue cheese, walnuts
• Pears - blue cheese, pecans
• Pomegranates
• Dried cherries
• Dried cranberries

Croutons

Recipe	Salad Green	Salty Component	Sweet Component	Nuts, Seeds	Dressing
Classic Tossed Salad	Iceberg lettuce, red onion, green or red bell pepper, radish, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, croutons	Black olives			Green Goddess, Thousand Island, French, or Ranch dressing
*Salad Bar	Spinach, Boston lettuce, Romaine lettuce (or Iceberg), thinly sliced red cabbage, grated carrots	Green and/or black olives, Parmesan cheese, Grated cheddar cheese	Pickled beets Other garnishes: Radish slices, cherry or grape tomatoes	Chick peas, sunflower seeds	Assortment of salad dressings
Classic Iceberg Lettuce Wedges	Iceberg lettuce wedges				Thousand Island or French dressing
*The Iceberg Wedge	Iceberg lettuce wedges, tomatoes	Blue cheese, crisp bacon			Blue cheese dressing
*Greek Salad also see Greek Country Salad (tomatoes, cucumber, sliced red onion, green pepper, feta cheese, Kalamata olives - no salad greens)	Romaine lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, cucumber, green or red pepper	Kalamata olives, feta cheese			Greek Salad Dressing (made w/ lemon juice & oregano)
*Italian Antipasto Salad	Iceberg lettuce Romaine lettuce Cherry tomatoes Garbanzo beans White onion	Italian meats, such as salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, and capicolla, black olives, fresh mozzarella or Provolone cheese, marinated artichoke hearts			Honey Dijon
*Caesar Salad	Romaine lettuce, croutons	Anchovy filets (in dressing), Parmesan cheese			Caesar Salad Dressing
*Mom's Wilted Endive Salad (also good made with spinach)	Endive Sweet onion	Bacon			Bacon grease and vinegar, pour over while warm
Endive, Beet & Red-Onion Salad	Belgian endive, red onion, cooked beets				Dijon mustard and red wine vinaigrette
Spinach & Grilled Portabella Mushroom Salad	Spinach, grilled portabella mushrooms, sweet onions				Balsamic vinaigrette
Spinach Salad w/ Apple & Red Onion	Spinach Red onion		Apple		Honey mustard vinaigrette
*Holiday Pomegranate Salad	Radicchio Arugula or watercress Bibb lettuce Belgian endive Sweet red onion	Goat cheese, wrapped in proscuitto and seared in a pan	Orange segments, pomegrante juice & seeds	Pomegranate seeds	Pomegranate juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, orange zest, shallots
*Endive Salad w/ Pears, Blue Cheese, & Port Vinaigrette (w/ candied pecans)	Endive	Blue cheese	Candied pecans, pears, Port wine	Candied pecans
Harvest Salad of Bitter Greens, Caramelized Pears, & Blue Cheese	Radicchio, endive, mesclun, watercress	Blue cheese	Caramelized pears	Toasted walnuts	Honey, vinegar, walnut oil, shallots
Winter Green Salad w/ Apples	Mixed salad greens	Blue cheese	Apple slices	Toasted walnuts	Raspberry vinaigrette
*Winter Greens Salad w/ Oranges & Goat Cheese - plus Spring Variation	Frisée (endive), radicchio, Belgian endive (Spring greens in spring)	Goat cheese rolled in toasted pecans and baked	Orange segments (strawberries in spring)	Toasted pecans (goat cheese rolled in)	Champagne or white wine vinegar, orange juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
Balsamic-Walnut Salad	Mesclun (spring greens)			Toasted walnuts	Balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, olive oil, walnut oil, Dijon mustard, shallots
Arugula Salad w/ Shaved Parmesan or Arugula Salad w/ Olive Oil, Lemon, & Parmesan Cheese	Arugula	Parmesan cheese			Balsamic vinaigrette or olive oil and lemon juice
*Brian's Red Leaf Lettuce & Avocado Salad	Red leaf lettuce, red sweet onion, avocados	Black olives			Balsamic vinegar and olive oil
*Spinach Salad w/ feta cheese, dried cranberries, toasted slivered almonds & Raspberry Vinaigrette	Spinach	Feta cheese	Dried cranberries	Slivered almonds	Raspberry vinaigrette