My favorite Manhattan lunch salads are the large, build your own salads, where you choose your own ingredients and your salad specialist prepares and tosses to perfection. This is my homemade version of the make-your-own salad.
TO PREPARE A LUNCH SALAD IN A BOWL:
Choose your green: Any lettuce or mixed greens*, kale, spinach, arugula, dandelion greens
Choose your protein: Chicken, turkey, egg, beans, edamame, chickpeas, lentils, seeds, nuts, quinoa
Choose your add-on veggies: Cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, beets, asparagus, radishes, sugar snap peas, red onions, scallions, tomatoes, fennel
Add in a superfood: Avocado, cranberries, goji berries, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seed
Optional fruit: Blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries in the spring; Peaches, plums, and mango in the summer; Apples and pears in the fall; Oranges in winter
DIRECTIONS:
For a complete lunch salad, choose items from each food group (feel free to add in any favorites not listed here). Wash and chop the veggies. Add all of the ingredients to your bowl. Then, add your favorite vinaigrette (extra virgin olive oil is best). Toss to perfection.
*Iceberg lettuce is not recommended.
