{"id":798,"date":"2013-03-04T08:20:33","date_gmt":"2013-03-04T13:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lettercdesign.com\/blog\/?p=798"},"modified":"2013-03-04T08:30:14","modified_gmt":"2013-03-04T13:30:14","slug":"798","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lettercdesign.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/04\/798\/","title":{"rendered":"simple salad bar"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"saladbar1\"<\/a>
\nsaturday my sisters and nieces came over for dinner, so i pulled together a salad bar. the first one we made was for my sisters birthday last summer. her girls wanted to throw her a little party. i asked what her favorite food was and they said salad. not sure if it is really her favorite food, but we went with it. i made a salad bar and they were in charge of decorations. it was a hit and now i wish one set up in my kitchen all of the time.<\/p>\n

this salad bar came together easily. i made some simple pizzas to go with it, so while the dough was rising and sauce was simmering i got to chopping. the beets and carrots were roasted, chickpeas were cooked with a bit of olive oil and seasoning, broccoli was saut\u00e9ed with onions & garlic and the rest was cut up or just placed in a serving dish. if more people were coming i would have used these<\/a> for labeling the dishes.<\/p>\n

there was more than enough food. after we ate, my niece made my mom and dad salads for delivery (since they have new puppies and couldn’t join us), then my sisters each took some to go. everything else was dumped into the lettuce bowl and now i have lunch for days.<\/p>\n

\"saladbar2\"<\/a>
\nthere are a lot of good things about making a salad bar for company:
\n\u2022 you can use any ingredients you have on hand
\n\u2022 make it simple, make it complicated – it’s up to you
\n\u2022 all the chopping can be done ahead of time
\n\u2022 no need to worry about matching serving dishes – use what you find
\n\u2022 make it a pot luck type of meal and assign toppings to other people
\n\u2022 perfect for any size of get together – just add more or less of each of your ingredients
\n\u2022 you don’t need to worry about what people will & won’t like – they have choices
\n\u2022 it’s ready to go and you can enjoy your company
\n\u2022 my favorite part – the leftovers for lunch the next day (or two)<\/p>\n

here’s some salad bar suggestions:
\n\u2022 any kind of lettuce (i chop mine in small bites for easier eating)
\n\u2022 spinach
\n\u2022 cucumbers
\n\u2022 tomatoes
\n\u2022 green peppers
\n\u2022 carrots
\n\u2022 celery
\n\u2022 roasted peppers
\n\u2022 banana or hot peppers
\n\u2022 olives
\n\u2022 corn
\n\u2022 shredded brussel sprouts
\n\u2022 green beans
\n\u2022 roasted beets
\n\u2022 broccoli
\n\u2022 peas (i use frozen and let them thaw before serving)
\n\u2022 salsa
\n\u2022 avocados
\n\u2022 grilled zucchini
\n\u2022 slivered almonds
\n\u2022 beans (if using from a can i cook them a bit to get rid of the can taste)
\n\u2022 tuna fish
\n\u2022 hard boiled eggs
\n\u2022 ground beef with taco seasoning for a mexican salad
\n\u2022 cubed ham
\n\u2022 shredded chicken or turkey
\n\u2022 salami
\n\u2022 cheese – cubed, shredded – whatever you like
\n\u2022 crumbled bacon
\n\u2022 gold fish
\n\u2022 croutons<\/p>\n

the possibilities are endless. if you’re feeling extra creative you can go with a theme. maybe italian and along with the basics include mozzarella, cured meats, tomatoes and basil, onions, olives & garlic bread croutons. or southwest with ground beef or bbq shredded chicken, salsa, avocado, corn, jalape\u00f1os, black beans, cheddar cheese & tortilla strips.<\/p>\n

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