Salad

[randy_byers]

kalimac posted about food preparation, which got me thinking about salad. One of the things I did in response to the pre-diabetic diagnosis was to start making and eating salads at home. It's a pretty basic tossed green salad, although it has evolved over time and now includes things like pickled beets, mushrooms, and raw sunflower seeds, along with salad greens, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and sugar snap peas. The main idea is to increase vegetable intake. I also make my own vinaigrette, with oil, vinegar, wasabi, garlic, and fresh rosemary.

Anyway, on Sunday I made a lentil and sausage stew that called for parsley. (I needed the sustenance while watching the Seahawks lose to the 49ers.) This left me with a bunch of leftover parsley, as usual, so when I made a big salad yesterday (enough for a week), I added some chopped parsley. Wasn't sure how that would work, but I have to say that last night at least it tasted fookin' brilliant.

Comments

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Believe it or not, I have never made a salad. I have very primitive tastes in salad, and would probably just munch on iceberg lettuce if I were going to do it myself.

I once wrote about cilantro, how some adore it and others detest it, while for me, it doesn't seem to have any strong effect at all. I mentioned parsley in the same context. I've always viewed parsley as purely a garnish; it never occurred to me that it's supposed to have a taste. I take it that it does for you?

(Don't take that as meaning that I'm generally taste-impaired. I have my loves and hates in food tastes, very much so.)

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

Yes, parsley has a very strong flavor for me (as does cilantro). I was worried that it would be too strong for the salad, so I was very happy that it added just the right note to the mix. Mind you, I made a three bean salad a year or so ago that called for fresh parsely as well, so I knew that it worked in that context.

[mszappata.livejournal.com]

My own case has taught me that the waking blood glucose level can jump overnight in case there isn't enough carb for the body (I have managed to lower mine after dropping 16 kg). So we always have to be careful with the carb load, our own weight and exercise - no overodse:-)

I've noticed that legumes are quite good at lowering our blood glucose during the day. But personally for me once a day is enough - whenever I had two portions a day, I had that overnight jump.

[janetl.livejournal.com]

I used to think of parsley as garnish, then discovered how much better it makes scrambled eggs, and its critical role in some pasta dishes. I'm not fond enough of it to dive into tabbouleh/tabouli salads, but you might want to check out some of those recipes.

[don-fitch.livejournal.com]

Having a vegetable garden/allotment, my salads are frequent, but vary according to what I planrted a month or so ago -- up to five varieties of lettuce, scallions, beet-leaves, shredded carrots, turnips, radishes, Swiss chard, celery, broccoli, shredded cabbage, &ct. (Sometimes steamed & chilled.) Your mention of wasabi in the dressing seems inspired, and I'll try it tomorrow.)

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

Fresh herbs are generally great. I now grow parsley, thyme and rosemary pretty much all year and chuck em in everything, have you chucked parsley into cous cous salad? Transforms it.

Its al climate for me tho. In Berkeley I craved salad. Here its a struggle even to eat cherry tomatoes!