"Seasonal" Themed Salad Winter's Best

Everyone always loves classic salads like Caesar Salad, Chef's Salad, or Greek Salad. They are made with the same ingredients no matter what time of year they are offered. And while everyone loves a certain salad or even a salad dressing and the predictability this provides, it is good to consider the season and seasonal ingredients, too. My son said he is not a big fan of salad but really loves this one.Here is an idea for a winter salad based on seasonal ingredients from fall and winter.The base consists of a "super greens" mix with kale, chard, and spinach. These greens have the added bonus that they could be cooked or served raw. And what I like about them is that you can serve them for salad in the first few days after shopping and then as a steamed vegetable later in the week when they show the first signs of wilting.Since these greens are a little thick, I like to cut them into smaller pieces with the knife. I added grated and sliced root and bulb vegetables, including golden beets, carrots, onions, fennel, and ginger. They I added dried cranberries, orange zest, and toasted hazelnuts. It was tossed with a little bit of oil and vinegar. The ginger and orange zest are grated on the fine side of the grater while the carrots, beets, and fennel are sliced thin with a knife. A shallot was chopped and added for a delicate onion flavor.Oil and vinegar were used lightly and the salad was tossed. This salad went well with baked salmon and potatoes.Here are salad themed items from the Nutrition Education Store 

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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.