COMBINED SALAD DINNERS-THE PERFECT ENTREES FOR TODAY
I’ve been praising combined salads for almost a decade (August 17, 2015, and Aug. 23, 2018 and April 8, 2021). They’re a millennial innovation, originally, to cope with the high prices of heritage meats, particularly beef. Now, they offer a way to deal with high food prices generally, especially meats.
Millennials are knowledgeable foodies and rightly so, because they are in a unique position… The older ones were the first generation to grow up with the expanded American pallet. Their grandparents had explored different cuisines and their parents had assimilated many dishes, even some ‘fusion’ ones. Yet they are the last generation, who as children, experienced foods as they should naturally taste, for example, grass-fed beef and produce without GMOs.
By the time these people were adults, the new order of husbandry and farming had come into being. Only gourmet shops sold foods with the tastes they remembered and wanted, but at high cost. So the Combination Salad was created. To distinguish this from a composed dinner salad, where ingredients are intermingled, in a Combined Salad, half a normal serving of meat is presented in thin slices, to one side of the plate, so it can be savored without distraction. An advantage is that the meat can be freshly cooked, sautéed or grilled, or sliced leftovers. Both present equally well. The remainder of the plate is filled by a salad which compliments the meat with a wide range of cooked and fresh ingredients, adding grains, beans, seeds, nuts and cheese to boost the protein level to nutritionally healthy standards.
A healthy meal should contain 15-20 grams of protein. The traditional 3-item plate with a starch, vegetable and 4 oz. of a meat depends on the meat to fill the requirement. Reducing the meat to 2 oz. reduces the protein value to 7-12 grams. To restore the nutritional levels for these entrees, the starch and vegetable fibers are combined in a salad enhanced by the addition of high protein ingredients as flavorings and garnishes. You can learn the individual values of these ingredients from a food chart in a book or on the internet, but to give an idea, an average of protein value per category is:
1) Nuts – 2 Tbs. = 5-7 grams
2) Seeds- 2 Tbs. = 5-9grams
3) Cheese – 2 Tbs. = about 7-9grams
4) Beans (legumes) – ½ cup= 7grams
5) Grains (cooked) – ¼ cup = 3grams*
6) Egg -1 = 6grams
7) Wholegrain pasta-1/2 cup =8 grams
*For tips in using grans in salads see post Sept. 21, 2017
You can see how mixing and matching these ingredients in quantities suitable to the dish, can quickly boost its protein count above the standard 15-20 grams requirement for a healthy meal. The salads are individual to each meal allowing unorthodox combinations of pasta, grains, legumes and other starches like potatoes with both cooked and raw vegetables and salad green deliciously fulfilling all other nutritional needs.
Salad ingredients can be prepared ahead and kept in chilled water, tossed with vinaigrette (see my post on DIY dressings July 31, 1015, and July 9, 2020) just before serving and plated with the meat, spontaneously draped over it or positioned to one side. The presentation is a most inviting one of freshness and casual elegance.
As for the actual ingredients, start with the thought that things that go together hot, will do so cold. The Italian gang, for example, tomatoes, zucchini, onions and fennel make a wonderful salad when grape tomatoes are split and the other things shaved and yes, the zucchini is raw. Add fresh basil and oregano, some quinoa and perhaps shavings of Parmesan or Romano some grilled chicken or slices of beef and it’s a full meal.
You can have fun thinking outside the box too. Many fruits and vegetables are great matches: tomatoes, watermelon and avocados, cantaloupe, peppers and onions, plums, radishes and cucumber to name a few. Lesser greens such as watercress, sprouts and baby spinach are great compliments for these combos, rather than the usual lettuces. Herbs are wonderful as well. Don’t buy a bunch for garnish and wonder what to do with the rest. Use then as salad greens: parsley, especially the flat leaf, cilantro and basil are good choices.
Then it’s simply a matter of deciding what grain, cheese, seeds or nuts, toasted please, best go with the other ingredients, appeal to you, perhaps you have on hand or want to get to round out the salad, turning it into the chief component of the main course rather than a side. I’ve found the grains present no problem in taking up prep time either. They can be cooked ahead, frozen in salad sized portions and thawed when needed.
The dressings can offer a chance to be equally as unique. Using the pan drippings from the meat as a base, oil, juice, broth and vinegar and/or wine can be added, along with seasonings and herbs to create a truly original dressing for this particular dish. You can’t offer people anything more special than that! What’s more these salads make colorful, decorative presentations, ideal to treat your family, or serve company top quality foods without breaking the bank. They’re also a perfect way to flex your cooking muscles, even if you’re only a beginner.
Below are 4 salad suggestions you can use as templates to get started, along with meat suggestions to give you pairing ideas, and 2 actual combined salad dinner recipes. The photo illustrations show presentations, which show how spontaneous, free-form and individual these entrees are, as well as how easy and fun they are to make, even if you don’t know much about cooking.
RECIPES
Melon Salad: Serves 4*
1 cantaloupe rind and seeds removed sliced ½ inch thick and cut in 2 inch pieces
1 small red onion thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper – in Julianne cut in 2 inch lengths
1 bunch cilantro- leaves only
Leaves of 2 mint sprigs – chopped
2 tsp. oil
½ lime juiced
3 green leaf lettuce leaves torn in bite-sized pieces
Few drops hot sauce—optional
¾ cup cooked couscous or cooked quinoa
¼ cup chopped pistachio nuts
Toss melon and all other ingredients except nuts gently to coat. Chill if not serving at once, but no more than 30 min. Plate chicken and add salad to plate allowing some to partially cover the chicken. Top with nuts.
*Serving suggestion-4 pieces skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, pounded to an even thickness or 4 tuna steaks, cooked as preferred, grill, sauté or broil
Pear Salad; Serves 4*
3 ripe pears thinly sliced
1 head small Bibb, Boston or 4 leaves green leaf lettuce-torn in bite-sized pieces
3 Tbs. oil
1 Tbs. tarragon vinegar
¾ cup cooked farro
1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
6 oz. Brie- crumbled
Toss all ingredients except the cheese gently inn a bowl. Plate salad partially over the meat at once and garnish with the cheese.
*Serving suggestion-4 loin pork chops, cutlets or 1-1 ½ lbs. packaged loin
Avocado, Cucumber Spinach Salad; Serves 4*
1.package baby spinach 8-11 oz.
1 avocado – sliced thin and cut in 3 inch pieces
½ medium cucumber sliced on a mandolin
1/3 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
¾ cup cooked kasha
2 Tbs. fresh dill chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
Whisk the last 4 ingredients in a bowl to make a dressing and chill for at least 1 hour. Gently combine 1/2 the dressing with the other ingredients, except the nuts. Plate the salad with the meat, garnish with the nuts. Serve the remainder of the dressing on the side.
*Serving suggestion- excellent with salmon, but can be served with any strong flavored fish such as cod or hake.
Italian Vegetable Salad: Serves 4*
4 plum tomatoes in 8ths
1 zucchini sliced on a mandolin
1 onion sliced thin
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1.3 cup fresh oregano and basil leaves or 1 Tbs. of each dried**
2/3 cup cooked bugler
4-6 leaves Romaine lettuce torn in bite-sized pieces
3 oz. shaved Parmesan or Romano cheese
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
Combine last 3 ingredients in a bottle and shake well. Toss dressing with all the other ingredients gently and plate with meat. Garnish with cheese.
*Serving suggestion – any grilled, sautéed or broiled cut of beef or well-trimmed slices of roast beef, even thicker cut Deli ones.
** If using dried herbs, add them to the dressing rather than to the vegetables.
Bourbon Pork Salad: Serves 4
1 lb. pork tenderloin
1 large sweet potato-diced
1 cup cooked lentils
2 large fresh peaches, nectarines or 6 small apricots-sliced OR (1) 15 oz. can apricots pitted, in quarters
1 onion-sliced thin
6 cups arugula-torn in bit sized pieces
1 Tbs. + oil
Salt
1 Tbs. EACH cumin ans paprika
1 clove garlic-smashed
3 Tbs. cider vinegar
2 Tbs. brown sugar
¾ cup bourbon
Position oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 400 deg. Toss potato with oil, lightly salt and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Combine spices, garlic, ½ tsp. salt and 1 Tbs. sugar. Lightly oil the meat and rub with spice mix, place on a foil-lined baking sheet . Roast potatoes on upper oven rack about 30 min, until golden and pork on lower one until coked through about 20 min. Meanwhile, heat reserved sugar and bourbon in a small pan to dissolve sugar, then boil for about 3 min. to remove alcohol, reduce heat and add fruit for 2 min. Remove the fruit with a slotted spoon and reserve. Add vinegar and onion to the pan and allow to pickle for about 8 min. Toss lentils, arugula, potato with dressing to taste, plate top with fruit, surrounded by pork slices. Pass remaining dressing on the side.
Asian Chicken Salad: Serves 4
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 1 whole chicken in 4 parts.
1 tsp. grated ginger root
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 large clove garlic-crushed
2 Tb. oil –to lightly grease the grill or sauté indoors
1 cup cooked short grain brown rice
1 avocado-peeled and sliced
3 scallions sliced diagonally
1 1/2 oz. snow peas sliced diagonally
1 head of red leaf lettuce
¼ cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs. oil
¼ cup chopped dry roasted peanuts or pistachios
Marinate the chicken in the next 3 ingredients at least 3 hours or overnight. Grill the chicken or sauté in oil, drain and cool. Place the cooked rice in the used pan or a lightly oiled one, spread it out and allow to crisp in the bottom. Remove pan from heat. Quickly blanch snow peas. Place Chili sauce, 2 Tbs. vinegar and 2 Tbs. oil in a jar and shake to make dressing. Place the chicken pieces around one side of a platter or each plate . Place pieces of the ‘rice cake’ around the opposite one and fill the center of the platter or plate with the torn lettuce leaves, top with the snow peas, avocado slices and scallion. Drizzle with the dressing and garnish with the nuts.
This too can be served hot as made or prepped ahead and the ingredients, except the nuts, kept chilled, but the flavor of the meat is best at room temperature or above.
