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Explore
the wide world of salad greens
June 29, 2006
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Your
salad days are here again, and there are so many more choices.
Arugula, mizuna, radicchio and red romaine. There’s
spinach, frisee, Belgian endive and red oak leaf lettuce.
Mesclun? Also called spring mix or field greens, it’s
a blend of several varieties of baby greens.
Summer is prime salad time, which is great, because green
salads are low in calories and high in nutrients you need
to be healthy. But what used to be a simple matter –
a tossed salad of iceberg lettuce, sliced cucumbers and a
tomato wedge – has become more sophisticated.
Not only are more varieties of salad greens available now,
someone else will even wash and toss them for you.
With all the choices, you may be wondering, “Which salad
greens are best?”
The easy answer is this: They’re all good for you. All
salad greens – even anemic iceberg lettuce – contribute
needed vitamins, minerals, beneficial phytochemicals and fiber.
Still, some are better than others.
Some salad greens are particularly rich sources of iron, calcium,
folate, vitamin A and fiber. The most nutritious varieties
are medium to deep shades of green and red. Locally grown
and freshly picked greens also have higher nutrient values
than those shipped cross-country to sit on supermarket shelves
for days before purchase.
Examples of nutrient-rich greens: kale, arugula, spinach,
romaine, radicchio and watercress. There is a good picture
guide to salad greens at the web site of Earthbound Farm,
a packaged salad producer. Go to http://www.ebfarm.com/Products/GreensID.aspx.
Other factors to consider when you choose salad greens:
* Flavor. Some greens have a strong flavor. Arugula is peppery
and slightly bitter, for example, and curly endive and radicchio
are somewhat bitter, too. Depending on your taste, you may
want to use a mild-flavored green for the base of your salad
(romaine, leaf lettuce, or Bibb, for instance) and add smaller
amounts of more strongly flavored greens for accent.
* Variety. It’s okay to mix it up. You don’t always
have to choose the darkest greens. Salad greens come in many
shades and pretty forms. Lollo rosso is a mild lettuce with
ruffled red edges, and red leaf lettuce and red Belgium endive
also add color.
* Organic versus conventional. Organic is best, not because
of superior nutritional value but because it likely has fewer
contaminants. But any salad is better than no salad, and all
salad – organic or conventional – should be rinsed
with running water before eating to ensure that any bacteria
is washed away.
* Convenience. Just-picked foods are always best, but there’s
nothing wrong with buying packaged greens from the supermarket,
too. You may pay more if someone else tosses your salad for
you, but it’s money well spent if the result is that
you eat more salad.
When you assemble your salad, consider a few other tips, too:
* Use a salad spinner – a bowl-sized plastic tub with
a crank-arm that spins the liner inside to dry salad greens
after rinsing. Inexpensive salad spinners are sold in the
housewares department of most discount stores.
* Add texture, color and flavor to salads with shredded and
diced vegetables such as carrots, jicama, green onions, beets,
cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and fresh green peas. Add chunks
of apple and pear, strawberry halves and orange slices, dried
cranberries or cherries, walnuts pieces, sunflower seeds,
or candied pecans.
* Use oil-based salad dressings such as balsamic vinaigrette
and honey mustard Dijon. Why? Oil-based dressings spread more
easily than thicker dressings. You’ll use less and save
calories.
And with salads, the bigger the better. Serve salad as an
entrée. Add salad to every meal. Eat more salad more
often, and enjoy the many varieties of greens that make iceberg
look like plain vanilla.
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