Does a salad for a New Year 2023 party even make sense? Aren’t salads way too boring for special occasions anyways? If these are the first questions that popped up in your head, then here’s what you should know.
Salads, when well made, are never boring. Sure, if you just slice up some cucumber, tomatoes and onions, place them in concentric circles, and sprinkle some lemon juice and salt on top, your salad will look and taste boring. But while the common Indian perception of salads barely goes beyond this basic recipe—except to add carrots, beets and cabbage, or go the complete opposite way of serving up a mayonnaise-laden cold pasta salad—there is certainly more to salads that make them very interesting, and yes, festive.
Why You Need Salads In Your Life To Start 2023
You see, salads were first made in ancient Greece and Rome to celebrate seasonal produce. These ancient salads had layers of seasonal vegetables drizzled with olive oil, vinegar and salt. By the eighteenth century, chef’s special salads included leafy greens, fruits, nuts, grains, meat, eggs, anchovies, cheese and a wide variety of dressings. A modern-day salad is one of the best ways to celebrate nature’s bounty in its simplest form, and it serves another purpose which makes it perfect for a New Year’s Eve party.
Every year, we make resolutions to improve our health. You might hide it under the guise of “weight loss”, but let’s accept that what you really want to do is to commit to improving your mind and body’s well-being. And the fact is, you cannot do this without including salads in your diet. A modern salad is packed with all the categories of foods to make it a balanced meal in a bowl, and that’s precisely what you need to improve everything from your gut health to skin health.
Now, you may argue that you will start including salads in your diet after the year begins, but you know just as well as we do how much harm that New Year’s Eve binge does to your healthy resolutions. You gorge on the tastiest dishes available to you at that New Year’s Eve party, not realising that it will only weaken your resolve in the days to come—and those are the crucial first days of the new year!
But what if your New Year’s Eve party included a variety of delicious salads that strengthened your resolve instead of doing the opposite? Problem solved, right?
Simple Additions That Will Transform Your Salads
If the biggest conundrum for you right now is figuring out how to make your salads truly festive, let us bring you in on a secret: It’s the easiest thing in the world! All you need to do is shop for the following five groups of foods, all of which should be easily available at your nearest market and grocer. These are the five simple additions that will transform your salads from boring staples to festive party food.
Seasonal fruits & veggies: Fruits and vegetables form the basis of every salad, and these come and go according to seasons. So, to make your salad festive, all you need to do is shop for ingredients which are in season. For example, if it’s winter then go for root vegetables and stone fruits, and if it’s summer then go for the juiciest fruits and lightest of veggies.
Gourmet cheese & nuts: Both cheese and nuts are rich and nutritious inclusions that add healthy fats and proteins to a salad. Nuts like almonds, peanuts, cashews and walnuts are easily available, but you might have to spend a bit more for hazelnuts and pecans. From halloumi to feta, cheese can also add that much-needed oomph factor that turns salads into stylish, trendy dishes. Click here for Her Circle’s complete gourmet cheese guide to make the right choice.
Grains & legumes: While you might not think of white rice as a good addition to your salad, grains like black rice, brown rice, barley, buckwheat, quinoa and couscous can certainly elevate a salad from mundane to magnificent. The same goes for lentils, pulses and legumes. No, we don’t mean you should cook up some dal. Just boil some chickpeas, kidney beans or peas to add to your savoury salad for that meaty taste without any meat.
Greens & herbs: While you may be used to making a brilliant chutney with coriander and mint leaves, keeping them whole and adding them to salads is a great idea too. You could also explore other herbs like parsley, basil and dill, not to mention the addition of thyme or rosemary to roasted salads. And when it comes to green leafy vegetables, don’t just limit yourself to regular lettuce. Think romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, rocket, kale and baby spinach instead!
Dressing: The final secret to a festive salad is nailing the dressing, the thread that ties all the other ingredients together. The very basics you need for a flavourful salad dressing at home include olive oil, vinegar (balsamic, red wine, rice wine, etc. varieties are easily available now), honey, mustard sauce (preferably Dijon), mayonnaise, brown sugar, lemon (both zest and juice), salt and pepper. But if you don’t want to go through the trouble of making your own dressing at home—we admit it can be tricky for beginners—then just go shop for it. You’ll find that every urban supermarket is packed with an aisle full of dressings and dips.
Now that your basics are sorted, here’s the best bit: If you’re hosting a party, then rustling up a scrumptious salad can make your life easy because you can assemble large batches with ease. Here are three delicious and festive salad recipes you should try for the New Year’s Eve party you are hosting.
Grilled Fig, Peach & Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)
4 large yellow peaches, cut into thick slices
6-10 ripe figs, cut in halves
1 tbsp pistachios, dry roasted
1 tbsp walnuts, dry roasted
1 cup rocket leaves
50 grams goat cheese, cut into chunks or cubes
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
Method:
• Put the peaches and figs in a bowl, and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss it well, but gently.
• Heat a grill pan and grill the peaches and figs until they are slightly caramelised. The natural sugars in the fruits should help the process along, so keep an eye while you do this.
• To make the vinaigrette, take 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp honey. Blend it well.
• Put the rest of the ingredients in a salad bowl. Add the grilled peaches and figs. Drizzle the dressing on right before serving.
Roasted Beetroot, Sweet Potato & Couscous Salad
Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)
2 large beetroot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup couscous, cooked
1 cup chickpeas, boiled
50 grams feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
Salt, to taste
Lemon juice, as needed
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
Method:
• Place the chopped beetroot and sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add salt to taste, cumin powder, paprika, cinnamon powder and olive oil. Toss everything well.
• Shift the beets and sweet potatoes to a lined baking tray, then roast the veggies in the oven for 240C for 25-30 minutes.
• Check if the veggies are cooked properly, then take them out. Do not throw the juices of the veggies out though. Instead, shift everything into a large salad bowl.
• Now add the boiled chickpeas, couscous, lemon zest, coriander leaves, salt to taste, lemon juice and pomegranate seeds into the bowl. Toss everything together, garnish with crumbled feta cheese and serve.
Spiced Cauliflower & Broccoli Salad
Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)
2 cups cauliflower florets
2 cups broccoli florets, steamed (but not mushy)
1 tsp ras el hanout or any other Moroccan spices
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp plain tahini
3 tbsp slivered almonds
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Salt, to taste
Method:
• Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl, add ½ tsp of ras el hanout, minced garlic, salt to taste and 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss well together and shift to a lined baking tray. Roast the cauliflower at 220C for 30 minutes or till the cauliflowers are properly cooked.
• To make the dressing, mix the tahini, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and salt to taste in a bowl. Make sure the dressing is smooth.
• Shift the cauliflower florets into a large salad bowl. Add the steamed broccoli, the rest of the ras el hanout spice, romaine lettuce, sesame seeds and slivered almonds. Mix everything well, then drizzle the dressing on to mix again right before serving it.