At the Salad Bar

This is probably a silly thing to blog about. But this is my blog, & right now I want to talk about SALAD. My foster family (& Chuck-a-Rama) always had the best salad bars because they usually had my favorite toppings. For the sake of my personal history, I will now describe my perfect green salad. This may be more important than you think: they may be serving this exact recipe at my descendants' family reunions for years into the far future.

Foundation:
Fresh, Crisp Greens (For me, the more variety in the mix, the better. My sister grows the best greens: organic lettuces with tasty tiny baby greens of all flavors. Masterpiecefull!)

Toppings:

• Peas (1. Good: frozen peas, thawed 2. Better: sprouted peas 3. Best: peas from the garden = one of my favorite things!)
• Carrots (1. Good: sliced 2. Better: shredded 3. Best: small juliennes)
• Cucumbers (1. Good: sliced 2. Best: sliced, then halved)
• Tomatoes (I am not much of a tomato fan--I almost left them off my list. However, garden tomatoes are good on a salad & I can also eat halved cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes [on a salad] with a smile on my face)
• Sprouts (1. No, not alfalfa sprouts 2. No, not mung (bean) sprouts 3. Best: sprouted Pro-Vita-Mix)
• Baby Spinach (if it's not already in the greens where it should be!)
• Broccoli (small trees)
• Cauliflower (small flowers)
• Olives (green & black, please)
• Mushrooms (sliced, then halved)
• Beans (kidney, black, pinto, garbanzo: pick one or two)
• Pineapple (tidbits)
• Raisins
• Dried Cranberries (aka Craisins®)
• Ham Dices
• Boiled Egg Slices (I feel a poem coming on)
• Ranch Dressing (unless I'm trying to lose weight...then I use those yummy salad spritzers)
• Cheese (1. Good: cheddar 2. Best: Swiss & Parmesan)
• Sunflower Seeds
• Almond Slivers
• Bacon Bits
• Croutons (small is best)

Now I'm salivating. We are eating SALAD for dinner tomorrow! Wait. I have to soak & cook beans & sprout sprouts & buy ham & Craisins® & sunflower seeds & bacon bits first...we are eating SALAD in two days!

Other toppings at the salad bars of family & food joints that I sometimes take or leave:

• Avocado
• Shredded jícama
• Slices of raw yams
• Artichoke hearts
• Corn (I think baby corn is best...I love miniatures!)
• Onions (green, purple...I'd go with chives instead, but that's just me)
• Bell peppers (I prefer yellow or red)
• Diced turkey or chicken
• Pickles (although I'd rather have dilly beans [pickled green beans with a hint of cayenne pepper])
• Celery (no thanks)
• Beets
• Cottage cheese
• Mandarin oranges

It may seem I have complicated salad, which is why we usually eat salad with just carrots & cucumbers with toppings on the table of whatever we have on hand (which often ends up being peas, tomatoes, raisins, croutons, & dressing). Oh, but a salad BAR...I could get drunk there! Only joking: I'm a Mormon, so I don't drink.