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About 20 years ago, my husband Edward was rummaging through the fridge one evening and discovered we had no lettuce for a salad. Being resourceful, he tossed together some tasty ingredients, using red and green cabbage, carrots, celery, cucumbers and scallions.
Today, we still make lettuce-free salads, but our markets are filled with more options. We did not have bags of baby spinach, baby arugula, radicchio or Treviso during the late-1980s. Heads of red and green cabbage were everywhere, but who knew about baby bok choy, edamame or Napa cabbage?
Boxes of both grape and cherry tomatoes are good choices when other types are unavailable. Lucky for us, the Jersey and Lancaster County beauties are in season.
I’ve been having fun creating new lettuce-free salads. Edward brought home two bags of coleslaw mix (a combination of shredded green cabbage and carrots) and I used one of them for a base.
I always have radicchio, radishes, scallions, English cucumbers, carrots, arugula, spinach and celery in the produce bin of my fridge. I keep jars of roasted peppers and cans of artichoke hearts in the pantry. Fragrant fennel, bags of pre-roasted beets, bell peppers and grated broccoli slaw are also good to have on hand. I also like feta imported from Israel or Greece on summer salads. And – surprisingly – an original Greek salad doesn’t even contain lettuce.
Greek Salad
Ingredients:
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
2 large bell peppers of choice, sliced
1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced
Handful of kalamata olives
1/2 pound of imported feta, crumbled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Directions:
Place the tomatoes, onion, peppers, cucumber and olives in a large bowl. Toss well.
Top with the feta, salt and pepper.
Whisk the oil and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Pour over the salad.
Serves four to six.
Lettuce-Free Salad
Ingredients:
8 ounces of coleslaw mix
8 ounces of baby spinach leaves, sliced
8 ounces of baby arugula leaves, sliced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
4 scallions, with some green, sliced
6 radishes, sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Directions:
Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the salt and pepper.
Whisk the oil and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Pour over the salad and toss well.
Serves four to six.
Note from Phyllis: This is a free-form recipe. If radicchio or endive is in the fridge, put it in. A stalk of sliced celery adds crunch. I sometimes sprinkle on some grated Parmesan.
Israeli Salad
Ingredients:
2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 large English cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Italian parsley leaves, chopped
Directions:
Place the vegetables in a bowl. Add the salt and pepper.
Whisk the oil and lemon juice together in small bowl. Pour over the salad and toss well.
Top with the parsley.
Serves four to six.
Note from Phyllis: I first tasted this salad in Israel, but now it is popular in America. Serve with warm pita bread and cubes of feta, if desired.
Asian Salad
Ingredients:
4 ounces of edamame, cooked
1 small head of Napa cabbage, shredded
4 baby bok choy, sliced
4 scallions, sliced
4 ounces of shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seed oil
3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
Directions:
Place the edamame, cabbage, baby bok choy, scallions and mushrooms in a bowl. Add the salt and pepper.
Whisk the oils and vinegar together in a small bowl. Pour over the salad and toss well.
Serves four to six.
Beet Salad
Ingredients:
1 (8-ounce) package of cooked beets, sliced
4 heads of Belgian endive, sliced
Small handful of chopped walnuts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 pound of blue cheese, such as imported Gorgonzola, crumbled
Directions:
Chill four glass plates.
Divide the beets and place in the center of each dish.
Arrange one head of endive per plate around the beets. Sprinkle the walnuts over each salad. Add the salt and pepper.
Whisk the oil and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Pour over each salad. Top with the blue cheese.
Serves four.
Note from Phyllis: Cooked beets can be found in the refrigerated section at Trader Joe’s and in the produce section at the supermarket.
Broccoli Salad
Ingredients:
4 ounces of grated broccoli slaw
4 scallions, with some green, sliced
4 ounces of grated cheddar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Directions:
Place the broccoli slaw and scallions in a bowl. Toss well. Add the cheddar. Season with the salt and pepper.
Whisk the oil and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Pour over the salad and toss well.
Serves four.
Note from Phyllis: Broccoli slaw contains some carrots. For more, add a grated carrot, if desired.
