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Mix-and-Match Fall Salads for Easy Lunches and Dinners
Recently, my younger kiddo has been wanting salad. Lots of salad. Salads of all kinds.
Needless to say, I’m thrilled that my pickier eater wants to eat vegetables. Not that she doesn’t eat vegetables. She loves roasted broccoli and green beans. She’ll peel and eat a whole carrot when she’s feeling peckish. But that’s about it. So this salad phase marks an expansion of her palate, and as a former chef, I’m all for it.
Of course, autumnal salads are different that summer salads. Not better or worse. Just different. They require a bit more effort, as the “easy” vegetables like tomatoes and summer squashes are not in season. But that’s not a problem. I just do a bit more meal prep on weekends now. I roast vegetables, cook off grains and beans, and make a couple of different salad dressings. That allows my spawn to mix and match for her lunches.
So here are three different salad dressings with some ideas of fall salad ingredients for you to mix and match. I hope you enjoy them as much as my sprog does!
Mustard and Maple Vinaigrette
Ingredients
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons whole-grained mustard
1 small shallot, peeled and finely minced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
lots of freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Combine all ingredients except for the olive oil in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake until the salt is dissolved. Add the olive oil and shake to combine. Taste for seasonings. This will keep in the fridge for about a week.
Creamy Guajillo-Garlic Dressing
Ingredients
2 dried guajillo chiles (available at Fiesta or Central Market)
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
juice and zest of 1 lime
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 to 2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Heat the chiles on a dry griddle or in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. You want them to warm through and soften, not burn.
Cut the stems off the chiles and tap out the seeds. Guajillo chiles are pretty mild, so if you want the dressing to be spicier, leave the seeds in. Soak the chiles in a cup of boiling water, making sure to cover the bowl so that chiles steam. Set aside for about 30 minutes.
Remove the chiles from the water and chop them roughly. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and consistency. If you want the dressing to be thinner, add a little of the soaking water. This will keep in the fridge for about a week.
Citrus Poppyseed Dressing
Ingredients
Juice of 1 large sweet orange
juice of 1 lime
1 to 2 tablespoons honey
¼ white onion, grated
1 tablespoon poppyseeds
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup avocado oil
Directions
Place all ingredients except the oil in a blender or a food processor and pulse to combine. With the machine running, drizzle in the oil. Taste the dressing for seasoning. Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in the fridge for up to a week.
Fall Salad Mix-and-Match Ingredients
Greens
- Romaine
- Arugula
- Shredded Brussels sprouts
- Radicchio
- Chicory
- Dandelion greens
- Spinach
- Curly kale
- Fennel greens
- Shaved cabbage (I get bags of cole slaw mix and broccoli slaw mix to use in salads, and we all love it!)
- Fresh herbs
Grains and Beans
- Lentils – brown or green
- Farro
- Bulgur
- Brown rice
- Pearled barley
- Quinoa
- Kamut berries
- Sorghum
- Einkorn
- Freekeh
- Black beans
- Chickpeas
- Black-eyed peas or field peas
- Borlotti or cranberry beans
- Flageolet
- Pinto beans
- Red beans
Vegetables
- Roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash
- Roasted broccoli or cauliflower
- Roasted or blanched green beans
- Roasted beets
- Jicama
- Sliced fennel
- Sliced green or red onions
- Shaved kohlrabi
- Carrots
- Roasted potatoes
- Radishes
- Roasted turnips or rutabagas
- Mushrooms
- Peppers
Seeds and Nuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Chia seeds
- Hemp hearts
- Pine nuts
- Almonds
- Pecans
- Peanuts
- Cashews
- Walnuts (I mean, if you want. I don’t judge. Much.)
- Pistachios
- Hazelnuts
- Corn nuts (Not a nut, but really good in salads!)
Fruit
- Apples
- Pears
- Pomegranate arils
- Grapefruit segments
- Orange or tangerine or mandarin segments
- Avocados
- Dried fruit
- Cranberries
- Apples
- Apricots
- Cherries
- Pineapple
- Raisins or currants
- Mangoes
- Banana chips
- Crystallized ginger
- Prunes (They’re just dried plums and are delicious!)
- Figs
- Kiwi
