Brought to you by our in-house Chef Kai Salimaki

Spring is in the air and we’ve launched some brand new lettuces and leafy greens to make amazing salads with! 

Deepwater Blend

Inspired Greens Red Batavia and Green Batavia

Inspired Greens Multileaf Trio

Tips and Tricks

Here are our tips and tricks to get the best results when building your own custom salad. 

1. Use your hands! With robust greens like Kale or Romaine, you can use a knife but for delicate greens, tear the lettuce gently.
2. Wash your greens! It’s always a good idea to wash your lettuces and vegetables prior to eating. Use a large bowl and cold water to soak the greens for 5-7min. This way you are not overhandling and bruising the lettuce. Use a salad spinner to get rid of excess moisture or lay a clean tea towel in a colander and allow the greens to drain off in the fridge for a half hour. Wet/soggy greens will water down your salad dressings and vinaigrettes.
3. Dressing your greens.  Do not over dress your salad, you can always add more to taste if needed. In a large bowl, use your fingertips to toss your greens gently with your preferred dressing/vinaigrette.
4. Season your Salads! Dressings and vinaigrettes will take your salad a long way but don’t forget a pinch of salt. Pepper can be a great addition as well depending on the salad (I love a ton of black pepper on my Caesar salads)
5. The Garnishes: When adding garnishes like seeds/nuts or croutons, add them to each individual salad as a “topper”. This way they won’t all fall to the bottom of your mixing bowl and potentially get soggy. This applies for cheeses as well!

Chef Hacks

Vinaigrettes

• The culinary school mantra is 3 parts fat to 1 part acid. Depending on your “Zing” level, you can reduce the fat and go 2:1. Or if you find the fat/oil ratio too much, you can go 3:2:1 (3 Fat : 2 Acid : 1 Water)
• Mason jars make for excellent vinaigrette vessels, put all your ingredients in, give it a good shake for 30 seconds and voila! 
• Popular Acids for Vinaigrettes: Lemon or Lime Juice, White/Dark Balsamic Vinegar, Red/White Wine Vinegar, Champagne Vinegar.
• Popular Fat/Oils: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Avocado Oil. 
• If you are looking for extra zing and would like to see your vinaigrette more emulsified, add a tablespoon of dijon or wholegrain mustard to the mason jar and shake.
• For creamy dressings, a tablespoon of mayonnaise, sour cream, creme fraiche or greek yogurt will enrichen your dressing and help thicken it up. 

Wanna be a pro?

Fresh herbs and microgreens add amazing color, texture and flavors to salads. Radish sprouts, torn basil or spicy micro green mix will add a certain “Je ne c’est quoi” that will keep your family intrigued.

Looking for more inspiration?  Shop our favourite salad ingredients.