Now that spring has officially arrived, just the thought of exotic fruits, vegetables, and crisp, fresh salads is probably enough to get us all running out the door to our local grocery stores or farmers' market.If you're like me, though, after the initial thrill of spring produce shopping wears off, I tend to fall into the trap of making the same, boring salads night after night. However this chart, which I found on Oprah's site, should come in extremely handy for choosing items that go well with the salad basics that you have on hand, and give you endless ideas for healthy meals.
She has suggestions for which lettuce to choose based on the type of salad you'd like to make, as well as which add-ons would go well, such as beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, cheese and tofu, meats and poultry, and fish and shellfish. By mixing and matching the suggestions, you could probably have a different salad every day between now and September.

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2-22-2008 @1:20AM Harlem Mama said... I think this chart is quite groovy. I typed in fun things to put in your salad because I'm trying to be creative here in quest to be healthier. This definitely helps. I'm really late on seeing it, but its out in the web for anyone craving ideas. kudos. I felt I had to respond to the negative little blast at the top there.
http://harlemmama.blogspot.com
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3-23-2007 @12:02PM alice radley said... Just when I thought my opinion of Oprah couldn't be lower, she goes and makes something like this. Does Opera think her audience is made up mental defectives? If you need a chart to make a variety of salads ... well, maybe you are a bit defective.
http://www.kilgoreskitchen.blogspot.com
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3-23-2007 @1:37PM alice radley said... Forgive my Oprah/Opera issues. I've got opera on the brain today.
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3-23-2007 @10:31PM N. Suga said... I agree that this salad chart seems pretty absurd, but come on, where does insulting the original poster come in? And isn't it ironic to write about others' alleged mental deficiencies while not being able to spell Oprah's name correctly after having spelled it correctly in a previous sentence?
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3-23-2007 @1:06PM Cary said... I think that there are many people out there who would like to eat more healthfully, and more interestingly, than "ranch on iceberg." If a simple chart of suggestions gives someone inexperienced in the kitchen the confidence to mix things up a little, it's all good.
A little tolerance for those still expanding their culinary horizons and experience would probably be appreciated...
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3-23-2007 @3:49PM savvy said... I think the chart is pretty nifty!
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3-24-2007 @2:38AM Ash said... I like the chart a lot. It's especially useful if one receives different greens in a farmbox/veg subscription. I'll be printing it out.
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3-23-2007 @3:00PM garrick said... First, I'm not the best cook in the world. That's why I read here, to maybe improve.
Second, I've never been a big salad eater. I'm a side salad kind of guy -- like Cary said, ranch on iceberg.
Glancing at the chart made me think a little harder about expanding my salad horizons.
Alice, you need to chill a bit. If you can't stand the Oprah, avert thine eyes.
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3-23-2007 @3:30PM Foodie Bride said... I like the chart - and anything else that gets me thinking about dressin' up an otherwise boring veggie.
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3-23-2007 @5:16PM Lorrior said... I have to agree with Alice. If you need a pop-culture celebrity to tell you the 'right' things to put in a salad then you are missing out on its most valuable aspects: the freedom to pick out whatever looks fresh, seasonal, and tantalizing at the market that day, and to take advantage of what's already in your pantry without having to fuss with a particular ingredients list. If inexperience is the issue then information like 'endive is a hearty leaf with a slightly bitter flavor' or 'frisee is bushy and difficult to wrestle into your mouth without getting dressing on your cheek' might be more useful than a p's and q's list. If it's just that people feel special and safe knowing that they are consuming an 'Oprah Approved' combination, then I've got some apron strings to sell them. Salad really isn't rocket science (trust me, I'd know).
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3-23-2007 @4:37PM cybele said... My first instinct was with Alice. I know what to put in salad! But then I looked at the chart and thought it was pretty well done. It covers vegetarians and omnivores and has some interesting combos in there.
I have to admit I get stuck in a rut sometimes and it's good to have a quick chart to check out and maybe revive my love of raw veggies.
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3-26-2007 @11:40PM Fash said... I like the chart. It's basic and easy and it's actually one of the FEW Oprah endorsed items I have a use for. I am quite confident in my cooking aptitude, but I can still appreciate a basic cookbook, and that's how I viewed this. Perhaps not everyone is blessed with the inherent knowledge that beets taste good with chickpeas - they need someone to suggest it.
Oh, and anyone with half a brain could look at frisee + salad dressing and guess they might need a napkin...or a freaking knife.
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4-09-2007 @9:09PM kv said... Thanks for sharing the chart. My salads are often boring because I buy the same ingredients. It's easier to do that because I work long hours and don't have the time I used to on menu planning and shopping - this will save me time.
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3-29-2007 @2:51PM CarolS said... I don't know if my previous post actually posted, but this is the jist of what I said. Who cares who introduced? I don't care if it was Oprah or the Pope. I like salad, but hate to prepare it, so the chart helps take some of the guesswork out and helps with grocery shopping, etc.
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3-29-2007 @3:07PM Carol said... I really think she had a stomach band or stapling.. and she has to eat small because of it. I agree what does she think were not as bright as
"she" and she can tell us to a salad and what to put in it!!! duh???
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3-29-2007 @4:23PM CarolS said... BTW the chart mentions some SUGGESTIONS for salad dressings. Does anyone know where to get recipes for good Cilantro-cumin, the mint-cumin, Greek-lemon oregano, or Green Goddess dressings?
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3-29-2007 @9:52PM Mare Dyll said... Some of us mental defectives get that way from working very hard and very long days and a little chart like this helps us out in the grocery store when we have no brain cells left.
Remember that classic photo (every family has one) of the tuckered out kid in the high chair asleep on her or his arm?? I feel like that, as a school teacher from now until June, if only someone would put me in a high chair and feed me...
I'd rather a food chart than a book suggestion.
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6-29-2007 @1:30PM Steve said... 1. I doubt if Queen Oprah came up with the chart... one of her People did.
2. It is just ingredents listed horizontally. No mention of proportions. Heaven (or Oprah) forbid you add bean sprouts or black beans to your "American" salad...or mango in your Asian..
3. Come on, look at the ingredients, people: "Meyer lemon" (dang i have plain o' lemons..), "French or Greek feta", "flageolets","haricots verts","crispy lardons", "white anchovies" "toasted (NOT plain mind you!) cumin" "mizuna" .. I ALWAYS have a ready supply of the lardons in my frige ...and I'll bet "SHE" didn't know about that stuff until her Private Chef forced it down her gaping gullet.
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3-30-2007 @8:32AM Chris said... I'm not a huge Oprah fan, but I think it's a great chart. I am a pretty inventive cook, but I still like to use cookbooks. I see this as nothing different than a cookbook....a way to put new and interesting food on the table.
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3-29-2007 @4:44PM Dee said... To Carol S. You asked if anyone knew where to get recipes for good Cilantro-Cumin... I found a link, don't know personally if it's good, but it's worth a shot.. Here's the link.
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/recipe_cilantrocumin.htm
Hope this helps you out. Dee
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