Senior Health 7 Tips for Loving Winter Salads 1/12/2024 | By Su-Jit Lin Even the most die-hard salad lovers can find eating a cold bowl of chilled plants is more of a challenge as the temperature outside dips into that at which your ingredients are stored. Try these tips for winter salads and warm your desire for this healthy options. Unless you have the guidance of chefs and professional salad developers to steer you into winter salad bliss, that is. Here are some of their best suggestions to help you fall back in love with salad this winter. Building better winter salads 1. Roast some vegetables. There are few ingredients that, once roasted, can be added to a bed of lettuce, providing an anchoring texture you can really bite into. Obviously, roasted proteins like chicken, fish, beef, tofu or pork are a great way to add homeyness and oomph. But executive chef Chris Smith, of Atlanta hot spot Saints and Council, roasts vegetables too: “I like to bring in root veggies like Brussels sprouts, radishes, squash and parsnips and brighten them with items that will mentally take you to a fireside or similarly comfortable setting, such as pears, cranberries and pomegranates.” 2. Toast your nuts. Toasted nuts add buttery, smoky elements that bring warmth to mind, which is why Charis Neves, director of salad kit innovation at Taylor Farms, incorporates them into many of their winter-ready kits. She explains, “Pan-roasting nuts for a few minutes on the stove adds a smoky savoriness to slightly sweet salads, and because nuts have such a naturally high oil content, they cook without anything [else] in the pan,” making them an easy way to winterize your salad. 3. Turn over a new leaf. Top Chef contestant and James Beard Award-winning chef Kevin Gillespie of Gunshow says, “Consider nontraditional salad greens. Think Brussels sprouts, radicchio, Swiss chard, frisée,” he says. Drew Erickson, executive chef of modern American restaurant Camp in Greenville, South Carolina, agrees, and leans toward kale salads as a favorite for his season-inspired restaurant. 4. Change how you dress. Erickson anchors cider-vinegar-based dressings with tamari or soy sauce for a boost of flavor and umami, which in turn makes your winter salads more savory for comfort-food vibes. Smith recommends a warm bacon vinaigrette, which is as good on nearly any other green as it is the baby spinach it’s traditionally paired with. 5. Go ahead, get cheesy. Big-flavor types like gorgonzola, goat and feta add creaminess as well as richness to any salad. Sharp provolone and cheddar will also pop loudly against a green background. Yet one more way to choose cheese is Neves’ waste-not strategy. “As many people entertain in the winter months, they may have an abundance of cheese and meats — think leftover charcuterie — that can become delicious salad toppers.” 6. Add some vitamin C. And as bright as citrus is, it’s also a winter-ready flavor. Neves finds that a citrus vinaigrette with salad greens creates a colorful pop, and Gillespie is with her all the way. “Oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit alone or in any combo really spruce up a winter salad,” he says. “I like to mix them, like using lemon in my vinaigrette and orange in the salad for punch.” 7. Make your winter salads grainy. Make your salad more filling and winter-ready with a scoop of grains. Bulking up your bowl using half grains and half greens offers a heartier meal. EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com. ©2024 Dotdash Meredith. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Read more about making great healthy salads on Seniors Guide: How to Make a Satisfying Salad in 6 Simple Steps Read More Su-Jit Lin