Salads are wholesome. It provides us the freedom to pick and chose the ingredients according to our moods. It also allows us to balance the tastes, enhance some ingredient or reduce others. Moreover, it’s a versatile meal. Sukanya shares her favourite salad with us. Innovate, experiment and enjoy a salad, the way you want to.

There was a time when I used to like food. Maybe I still do. Or is that the change in my lifestyle, my diet, and trying to maintain my weight, I have lost that interest in food. For me, and kind of sad it is, food is no longer a pleasure, it is more of sustenance. Even then I do like good food cooked with minimal oil, the right amount of spices and has that flavor that suits my palate.  Mostly, I like salads. I can eat plain salad like any bovine, and then there are times when I jazz up that salad and make it more palatable. Here I want to share one of my favourite ones.

Get any green leafy vegetables. I usually get the spring mix. That has spinach, baby green romaine lettuces, red lettuces, red and green butter lettuces, arugula, chard and you can always throw in other greens too. (Sometimes I add mixed coleslaw instead of spring mix). Set it aside.

Boil some chicken and shred it. And if you are a vegetarian then don’t add any.

One cup of Greek yogurt, any will do. My favourite is Fage. I like that over any other Greek yogurts. You may add your favourite one and a pinch or more of curry powder.

Soy sauce—may be a teaspoon or more (I use my tongue to decide on the measurements, whatever tastes good to me).

A pinch of salt.

And the rest, what you add is up to you. I love sweets so I add whatever adds sweetness to my salad – usually it is diced strawberries, raspberries, mandarins. I love the nutty flavor too, so I add chopped almonds and walnuts; sometimes pecans.

My favourite dressing is once again something sweet – and it is Ken’s raspberry pecan fat free dressing.

Now, take that one cup of yogurt in a bowl. What I mentioned is meant for one serving, but in our house it can easily go up to two servings or even more. Anyway, to that yogurt in that bowl add the curry powder, soy sauce and mix it well. Shred the boiled chicken and add to it. If you like it chickenier then add more chicken to it. And mix it once again. Set it aside.

In another bowl add all the greens. Add the fruits you want to, and the nuts. You can throw in raisins as well (I do). Mix all together and then put it on a plate. You may add the dressing, while mixing or you can sprinkle the dressing once the greens are on the plate. I sprinkle the dressing, that way I add as little dressing as I can. Once that is done, you can gently dump that yogurt mixed with chicken in the middle. And if you like it to look good, sprinkle some more chopped almonds, walnuts and raisins/craisins.

Now, all you need is a fork and your salad is ready to be devoured.

Disclaimer: The main idea of this salad I got from an online source, the rest I added to it.

Pix from Author and Net

Sukanya Juno Biswas

Sukanya Juno Biswas grew up in Kolkata, India. She did MA in English from Calcutta University. She loves books, Bob Dylan, Baez and Boxer dogs. When she gets time away from two human kids and two animals, she writes. A complete realist, off and on romantic, an atheist – in the present climate of uncertainty, would have loved a perfect world, though aware it’s not possible. She has been living in Texas for last 17 years.

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