A Main dish or main course salad is a dish which represents a full meal. These salads are nutritious, tasty and easy to make. The leftover ham, roast beef, turkey and so on after the holiday festivities can be used in these salads.

Main dish salads can be cold or warm. They should be large enough to be satisfying, and can include meat and other proteins such as cheese, ham, boiled eggs, nuts and legumes. Beside containing a variety of vegetables, they should offer varied flavour, colours, shapes and textures.

Warm salads can be cooked vegetables, for example, cooked carrots, blanched broccoli and cauliflower. In cold salads, use a variety of salad greens creatively.

Each salad should have a base which is usually made from salad greens, such as lettuce, into which the body of the salad is spooned.

The salad's body

The body of the salad is the main part and contains the starch which can be firm pasta, a ground provision, or just starchy vegetables such as corn, carrots, legumes, fruits and your choice of meats.

Main dish salads can contain a variety of fruits for colour, flavour and nutrients such as pineapple, honey dew melon, cantaloupe, apples, and raisins. The ingredients in the body should have clean lines and shapes and should not be over cooked or too soft and mushy. The flavours should complement each other.

The garnish

A salad should also have a garnish for appeal. The garnish should be edible and the flavour should blend with the rest of the salad. Often the ingredients in the body of the salad are very attractive and the garnish can be made from some of the attractive pieces.

A dressing is important to a salad. It is a flavoured and seasoned liquid added to the body of the salad and should harmonise with the salad. The dressing for a main dish salad should be added before service to develop the flavour. Serve salad in attractive dishes.

Some festive ingredients that complement each other in a salad include sweet potato, ham, apples and pineapple with a large amount of lettuce. This goes well with cubes of corn bread.

Health tips

Stay away from cream sauce and mayonnaise or use them in small amounts to reduce calories in salad.

Use light oil dressings.

Use more starchy vegetables and less ground provisions or pasta and a large amount of leafy greens for a lighter salad.

Use smaller amounts of cubed meats.

Add some legumes (rinsed).

Add nuts sparingly.

Many Jamaicans, especially men, do not appreciate a main dish salad as a complete meal but as an accompaniment to a meal. Make it tasty, aromatic and attractively served to make a convincing case.

Enjoy!

Rosalee M. Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.