Butt-kicking Salad How-tos (requested by Spanklin)

As with any typical salad, you must have greenery. This is something that I like to switch up often--green leaf, red leaf, romaine, spinach, or a blend or sorts. (I do not recommend Iceberg due to it's lame taste and lack of nutrients however.)

Next...vegetables. Your salad will be most stylish when you cut your veggies in repetitive shapes. I.e. half circles for carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, pepper rings, etc. Or, you can choose to mix in strips of peppers, radishes, black olives (I like to quarter them, rather than doing them in the traditional Mexican circle; however if cutting vegetables in the round, then half Mexican circles will suffice). Your veggies are not limited to these that I mentioned on the above list. You might also want to consider shrooms (not the magical kind), sprouts, or even parsnips. Finally, consider avocado or edamame for your veggie source of flavor and good fats. Any salad, when paired with one of these soft green veggies will explode with flavor. (Mind you, salads may cause minor bowel explosions as well.)

Next up...nuts. Just like the avocado or edamame bean, nuts are crucial to your salad's flavor. If you want to go from bland to bam, simply toast some pine nuts or toss in some sunflower seeds. Remember that nuts have a high content of flavor, so you can go easy on the amount that you put into the salad.

Follow up your leafy greens, veggies, and nuts up with the all important salad dressing. I like pre-made ones as well as homemade dressings. I like to get crazy with my oils and vinegars and jazz things up on a nightly basis. I recommend red wine or white wine vinegar paired with a hint of toasted sesame oil and olive oil. (Note, spicy olive oil can be substituted for toasted sesame oil. If this is done, then balsamic vinegar--white or black--can be substituted in the vinegar department. Avoid matching balsamic vinegar and toasted sesame oil though.) Also, add salt and pepper to your liking! This is crucial for flavor, and when you're feeling real crazy, spice things up with a few red pepper flakes (please keep in mind the possibility of a salad shooter, though, and what red pepper flakes would add to that).

Most importantly, remember that the veggie to leafy vegetable ratio is about 2:1 or at least 1:1.

Next week will discuss the ins and outs of a delightful fruit salad. Thanks for joining this week's blog of Delicious Dish.