Let's Change the Idea of A Salad, Shall We?

Who uses a recipe for a salad? I had never heard of such a thing until I was instructed to help my grandmother make the salad for dinner. She had set out already the spinach and asked me to finish cutting up the vegetables and add them in. So I set out for the refrigerator and grabbed the carrots, some onion, celery, purple cabbage and whatever else I could find. I am cutting up the carrots directly into the salad bowl, consisting of just spinach, when my grandmother walks over and hollers, "What are you doing?" Stunned, I asked her,"What?" She preceded to tell me that carrots don't belong in a spinach salad... Huh? I had ruined dinner. The recipe she has always used called for nothing but spinach, celery greens, fresh chives and button mushrooms. Ok, cool. So lets put in some orange, purple, yellow, red, and more green! I have been stung by that my whole life! Who limits their salads to recipes? Remember to never restrict yourself to a recipe. They are guidelines and idea engines. Measurements are sometimes important, but in salads and many other dishes, put everything you can in there. Nuts, veggies, fruit, spices, breads, rubber duckies. It doesn't matter. And, yes, salads can be a main course! You can put them on a sandwich, in a pasta, on the grill, in a soup. You can char the greens, toast the nuts, grill the fruits and veggies. Puree half of it for the dressing! I aim to show so many different types of salads so as to break the mold. Use your imagination and don't follow the rules unless you are driving.

~Enjoy