The 4 elements salad, as the title say; is a general rule to my salads; the dressing and it’s conception have the 4 elements, which is in my opinion makes the ultimate salads. The rule for the salad itself is; a nutty touch, a juicy touch, a colorful touch and, the last but not the least, a salty creamy smooth touch. In this case more precisely the color element is the crunchy yellow pepper, then the usual tomatoes for the juicy part , some walnuts to get those proteins and crunch factor, and a delicious herb crusted goat cheese for the creamy and salty end.
So let’s make this 4 elements salad!
4 elements salad rule
Ingredient
The dressing
- 2 part of oil (olive oil or canola)
- 1 part of vinegar of your choice (depending on the acidity level of the vinegar the quantities will change)
- 1 part juice of your choice (orange, pineapple, apple,) or half a part of sweetener (maple syrup or honey)
- 1 tsp of mustard of your choice (I always have 3 or 4 types of mustard in the fridge, my favorites are grains mustard and white wine mustard, but if your vinegar is super acidic then I suggest a sweet mustard to balance the acidity)
The salad
- Lettuce of your choice (the base)
- a colorful veggie element (yellow pepper in this case)
- a juicy element (the tomatoes in this case but could be any fruits)
- a crunchy nutty element (in this case walnuts, could be simple sunflower seed, sesame, almonds, etc.)
- a creamy, salty element (the cheese of your choice, in this case a herb crusted goat cheese)
So this is my secret to a successful, tasty salads, the 4 elements rule. Hope you’ll enjoy!
5 Comments
I love this post. It totally reminds me of myself and my salad ways. Some people laugh at me for having a “method” for my salads, but it just works out so well. Mine’s a little different than yours (I’m a sucker for fruits in my salad along with the nuts and the soft/salty cheese) but I’m totally going to give yours a shot.
Yes fruits are the juicy element, just have to exchange with the tomatoes. The salad method is clearly including fruits;) It’s simply an example in the picture.
This is a great idea – having a “method” for salads makes it easy to pull one together from whatever you have on hand! A great skill to have!
Yes! I’m not the only salad nerd! I won’t make any compromise when it comes to mix and matching textures in salads. The balance you describe–nutty, juicy, colorful, salty and creamy–is, in my opinion, what turns a ho-hum salad into a memorable dish. Your formula is a winner!
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