Fresh and crisp salad greens are a healthy and refreshing part of a balanced diet. These days, the markets are filled with an array of vibrant greens. You can have a unique salad every day of the week that will vary in color, composition and flavor. By using a variety of greens, salads will not only look visually stunning, but will also taste great.

Gone are the days of boring salads. By having a supply of clean, seasonal greens in the refrigerator, you will be inspired to put together a fresh, crisp and healthy salad on a regular basis. Whether served as a whole meal or a simple side, salads are easy to work into your cooking repertoire.

In this step, you will learn how to choose and identify an assortment of salad greens. You will learn how to clean and refresh greens, and how to dry (so important!) and store them. You will also learn how to properly dress and toss a salad and how to combine greens in order to compose different salads.

Then we’ll explore a simple way for you to begin evaluating the different textures and flavors unique to a variety of greens.

Okay, so for Part 2 of this step, we encourage you to buy small amounts of a variety of greens that include different colors, textures and flavors. You can buy pre-mixed greens in many grocery stores, but we encourage you to buy whole and prepare your own mix. After properly washing and drying using a salad spinner, taste them by themselves, then try dipping each one in quality olive oil (optional) and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. That’s it. Taste each one to experience its unique flavor and observe the different textures.

It’s also a good idea to try a few of them together. For example, on its own, radicchio or Belgium endive can be quite strong and bitter, but when you add with other milder greens (non-bitter), the combination can provide a nice contrast of flavor, texture and color.

Make a Simple Salad:
One lettuce we love, but that isn’t always easy to find, is frisée, especially the younger smaller heads. If you can find it, wash, cut and dry it and then toss it with a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, season with a bit of salt and pepper, and serve as a side salad with your next meal. If you can’t find frisée, try another lettuce like a red or green leaf lettuce, butter lettuce or romaine (something with a bit of texture, curl and crunch – not iceberg or head lettuce).

Make a Mediterranean-Style Salad:
Mediterranean-style salad simply refers to the technique of first tossing a salad with an oil, then sprinkling in a bit of vinegar or acid (e.g. lemon juice or balsamic vinegar) then tossing again, as opposed to adding a combined vinaigrette or dressing. First toss some red leaf lettuce, or other crispy fresh lettuce or combination of greens, with a bit of extra-virgin cold pressed olive oil, making sure everything is lightly coated. Then a light sprinkle of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and gently toss. Repeat a second time. The trick is not to add any ingredient all at once; you want to coat all ingredients, so do it in layers.

NON-OIL USERS: If you are not using oil, use a very good balsamic vinegar that is lower in acidity (<6%). A good balsamic or lemon juice along with Swich’s Plant-Based Parmesan, freshly cracked black pepper, and good salt is all you need.

When you complete this step, we’ll send you some information on how to choose good oils and vinegars.

TIP: We LOVE adding Plant-Based Parmesan (see sidebar recipe) to many of our salads. Give it a try, I’m sure it will become a staple in your kitchen.