We all know the feeling of walking into the dining hall with a growling stomach after a long day of classes, only to find that not a single item sounds even remotely appetizing. You could just get the char-grilled chicken breast yet again with whatever cooked vegetables you can piece together, or fill a bowl with some pasta and marinara sauce…or you could venture over to the salad bar. I know what you’re thinking: why would I ever voluntarily get a salad now that I have the freedom to choose what I eat? With these tips, you’ll be able to create a salad that’s both filling and delicious!
- Find Your Base
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This can be the most intimidating part of a salad for many people who believe that the dish is just a dull, boring mix of greens. However, the dining hall has a lot of rotating lettuce options that are actually pretty good. My personal favorite is the spring mix because it’s a thinner, lighter lettuce that has a more neutral taste. Some other options they have include spinach, kale and romaine (be cautious with this one because of recent E. Coli issues).
- Toppings
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Personally, the toppings are my favorite part of a salad. I’m a huge fan of piling tons of vegetables—from bell peppers to artichokes to carrots—on top of my lettuce. However, if you’re not as into veggies there are a lot of fun, healthy alternatives you can use instead. Pre-cut apple slices or mandarin oranges can add a sweeter taste and change of texture to your mix. If you’re looking for a little protein boost, you can go to the yogurt section and add some nuts or sunflower seeds to your bowl as well.
- Protein
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A great way to make your salad more substantial is to add in some protein. A safe option is to cut up some char-grilled chicken breast from the homestyle section and add it in; but if you’re up for it, you can add in a different meat the dining hall is serving like turkey or beef. I’m also a huge hard-boiled egg fan and that can be a great add-in for a protein boost.
- Grains
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This can be hit or miss, but sometimes I enjoy adding some quinoa or rice from other sections of the dining hall just to add a different consistency and to balance out the various flavors in my bowl.
- Dressing
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You finally made it to the last step of your salad endeavor—but be careful here because this is where things can go wrong. While salad dressing can bring in a nice taste that drowns out the veggies, adding too much can pile on unnecessary calories quick (even dressings that are “fat free” still aren’t that good for you). My suggestion would be to go light on the dressing or substitute it for olive oil. Another surprisingly good dressing replacement is hummus—a cool hack is that you can mix it with pesto sauce from the pasta section to make a delicious pesto hummus.
I encourage you to give a salad (aside from the Southwest and Boom-Boom Chicken) a try. The salad bar can be daunting and overwhelming at first glance, but hopefully with these tips you’ll feel a bit more confident when navigating it and creating a delicious meal!