5 Ways To Make Salad Taste Amazing

Whether you are trying to lose some weight or just lead a healthy lifestyle while earning a culinary arts certificate online, salad is a great option. It’s not just low in calories – it’s also packed with vitamins and minerals. Though eating a salad isn’t nearly as exciting as chowing down on a juicy burger or crispy pizza, it’s still possible to add some flavor to this healthy dish. Here are five ways to make salad taste amazing:

1. Add some healthy fat
There’s nothing wrong with including a little healthy fat in your salad. Adding an avocado slice, coconut flakes or seeds will bulk up the salad and enhance its richness and flavor. Good fats also have numerous health benefits like protecting your vital organs from injury, improving brain function and providing energy, according to Ask Dr. Sears.

2. Marinate your ingredients
You can make your salad taste a little more cooked by marinating some of the ingredients. For instance, soak mushrooms in teriyaki sauce in a plastic bag for an hour before throwing them in your salad. If you prefer to add chicken, use olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sugar to give it that extra burst of flavor. As you taste the delicious tang on your tongue, you will forget you’re even eating a salad.

3. Have a balance of flavors
If you want your salad to taste its best, it’s important to include more than one flavor. PopSugar recommends adding a mixture of sweet, salty, bitter and acidic flavors to a salad. Instead of just eating an iceberg salad with cucumbers and tomatoes, for example, try adding some spicy peppers, strawberries and salty cashews to it.

4. Toast the nuts
If you plan on topping your salad with nuts, think about toasting them in the oven beforehand. According to PopSugar, doing this will enhance their flavor and crunchy texture. Let the nuts cool on the kitchen counter for about 20 minutes before you throw them in your salad.

5. Thicken up your salad dressing
Sometimes salad dressing can be so thin that it slides off the ingredients. To solve this dilemma, Women’s Health recommends adding fat-free Greek yogurt to the dressing to make it thicker and creamier. Greek yogurt doesn’t have too many calories, so you don’t have to worry about it ruining your diet.