Tired of the same old salads? Try these unconventional salad ingredients

 
Salads might be very good for you, but let’s be honest, unless you’re willing to get adventurous and mix things up a little, they can also get a bit boring if all you’re eating are the same few vegetables every single time. Changing up that salad dressing and trying new recipes are a great way of expanding your salad horizons, or, if you’re really feeling like something out of the box, why not check out some of these unconventional salad ingredient ideas?

 

A French twist

Poached eggs might not be the first food item that springs to mind when you think salad ingredients, but you can actually prepare a salad version of Croque Madame using just a handful of ingredients and a drizzle of Red Kellys Tasmania’s Tangy Traditional dressing.

Prepare the base or bread part of the salad with slices of lettuce, Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, and panzanella (a salad of bread and tomatoes). Then add chopped ham and the dressing whilst you boil a pot of water. Add a drop of vinegar to the boiling water and stir rapidly so that the water is swirling when you crack an egg into it. This causes the white of the egg to fold over the yolk (be warned: it does take practice!) and within minutes, you’ll be able to ladle a teardrop shaped egg on top of your salad. Eh voila! Your delicious and healthy Croque Madame salad adaptation is ready.

 

A barbeque favourite

Red Kellys Tasmania’s Creamy Caesar or Cajun Ranch dressing goes very well with our next set of unconventional salad ingredients. Use a mixture of shaved fennel and chopped apple to mix with shredded cabbage and carrots, and add spicy candied almonds for a finishing touch to create a slightly sweet coleslaw. Perfect for a beach picnic or a BBQ, this is a crowd pleaser for sure.

 

Berry unusual

Delicious to eat, beautiful in colour and packed with antioxidants, blueberries make an unusual but tasty vegetable salad ingredient, especially when mixed with shrimp. Get a bag of fresh mixed green salad leaves, a pound or so of cooked shrimp (make sure they are peeled and deveined), slices of feta cheese and several pecan halves. Put the salad on a serving dish and arrange the feta, pecans, shrimps and blueberries on top. Serve with a lemony dressing such as Red Kellys Tasmania’s Lemon Myrtle dressing.

Weed and feed

If you have got dandelions growing in your garden, you could be missing out on an exciting food source. Provided you haven’t treated them with weed killer, dandelions are a great way to up the ante on your salads. Pick the leaves when the plant is still quite young, and mix them with grated butternut squash, half a cup of arugula, some chopped fennel, two tablespoons of pumpkin seeds and the seeds from half a pomegranate. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper, and drizzle with Red Kellys Tasmania’s Basil & Garlic dressing for the perfect herbal butternut squash and pomegranate salad.

 

Seaweed surprise

Last but not least, here’s an easy seaweed salad to try. Soak about 30gms of dried seaweed for 5-10 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like it, squeeze until dry, and toss in Red Kellys Tasmania’s Chilli & Lime dressing. Add grated scallions and toasted sesame seeds to garnish.

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