Keeping Salad Fresh?
 

I love to eat salads, but I'm the only one in my house who will eat them. Does anyone have a good way to keep a lot of salad fixin's fresh for a long time? I really hate to have to throw away all those great veggies! :(

Thanks!

This *really* works great:

Wash and tear up all the lettuce. (We do 5-7 heads of Romaine at a time.)
Soak it 30 minutes in ice cold water (I even add some crushed ice before I dunk it.)
Drain off all the water and spin dry the lettuce until it is as dry as possible. (We really like the Oxo salad spinner, but any spinner will do.)
Put a paper towel in a gallon ziplock bag.
Pack in the lettuce.
Seal most of the bag, putting a straw into the bag at the very edge.
Use the straw to remove as much air from the bag as possible, slipping it out at the last minute as you seal the bag.
Store in the fridge.

This is a non-chemical way to remove the two things that make lettuce go bad: air and moisture. The lettuce keeps all week, if it was pretty fresh to begin with. I read about this somewhere a year ago, and we've done this ever since. Sounds like a lot of work, but if you process a whole bunch of lettuce each weekend, you're set for the week! You could skip the icewater soak if you were short on time; it still keeps really well. When I take out some lettuce, I usually take out the old paper towel and put a new one in.

You don't want to add any wet veggies to your lettuce until you're making the salad, though.

Hope this helps!
Jan

We've always used a paper towel in our lettuce keeper to soak up as much moisture as possible. change the paper every time you get some lettuce. At the restaurant I used to work at, we kept cut broccoli, carrots and cauliflower fresh by covering it with cold water and leaving it in the fridge - the water needs to be changed daily though.

Hope you find something that works!
KT

Hmmmm.......maybe I should ask for a salad spinner for Mother's Day?

Thanks for your help!

keeping salad fresh
 

Hi

I don't want to sound like a Tupperware sales lady.........because I am not. However, they do make a niffty salad keeper with vents to let out moisture and such.

I know.......I am the only salad eater in this house too!

have a great day!

Sunnygirl

are these the fridge smart ones? from tupperware?

I think I will need to invest in these.... after one day my salad becomes nasty!

Dana

salad salad salad
 

Hi yes these are the fridge smart. I had forgotten the name.

I am still looking for the Fat Free dressing that I really like. Anyone know one I should try?

Thanks
Sunny

ff salad dressing
 

Try Cardini's fat free Caesar; it's great.

thanks.
 

I have never heard of it. Is is something I can find anywhere?

What else does anyone recommend for a little variety in the salad department?

Sunny

Sunny,
Cardini's is a major brand; made by T. Marzetti Co. in Columbus, OH. The ff version is 40 calories for 2T, 1 pt. I've found it in Albertson's, HEB, and other grocery stores. (Avoid the regular version, which is a real killer!) They also have a lowfat version, 2 pts, which is ok but not as good as the FF.

Other salad ideas: grate some really good fresh Parmesan on it; lots of flavor, not too many points. Grated carrot is good. Also, maybe crumble on lowfat or ff feta cheese?

If you have a very large bowl, try tossing the salad with the dressing really well; it coats the lettuce better, even with just a little dressing.

There's also a recipe in the WW cookbook for a vinaigrette using chicken broth; sounds weird, but it's actually pretty good.
hth,
Jan

Ok Next question please
 

Ha ha

but here is my next question. What do you take on picnics that is tasty and low cal.?

Any really easy to make and take ideas? I am ready for warm weather and going to the park.

Sunny

Thanks for the tip on Marzetti's FF caesar dressing, Jan. And what a great idea you have to mix the salad with dressing in a large bowl! I'm going to try that. :)

Any one have a pasta salad recipe?
 

Hi

Just wondering if anyone had a pasta salad recipe to share?

I like pasta salad and was wondering about some low-cal salads that I could try/


Sunny

Hi, Sunnygirl, funny you would ask, and I just happened to check this thread! Tonight we are having a pasta salad, but it is very, very simple (our friend brought us some freshly-smoked ahi tuna this afternoon and since I hadn't taken anything out of the freezer for dinner, we were delighted to have it for tonight!). The reason it's so simple is that I didn't go out and shop for other produce to pad it out -- too hot outside. So, I have just cooked some rotini pasta, the multi colored kind (I bought a 5# bag of it at Sam's, so that's what's in the pantry), and am now chilling it in the fridge. When dinnertime rolls around, I'll cut up the ahi and mix it with the cooked and cooled pasta and some radishes I'll pull from our garden. I'll toss it with some olive oil and some seasoned rice vinegar, broil some garlic bread, and that'll be our dinner. Of course, extra 0-point veggies would be wonderful tossed in, too. Hope you get some good recipes from this thread! ;)

thanks for the recipe
 

Hi Linda:

This recipe sounds really good. Thank you. How did you prepare the tuna? Just wonering.



Sunny