DIY Salad Bag

It's hot here in FL, so we've been eating a LOT of salad! I've given up on making side dishes and just throw a salad on the plate with the protein. It's good for you, right? and I spend less time slaving over the hot stove - and THAT is good for all in this house when it's hot out!
...and when I say ALL I mean Don, of course, because it is just the 2 of us :)

I was spending big dollars on those chintzy bags of salad, and decided enough was enough! I started making my own bagged salad and it is working out perfectly! I'm saving money and I don't have to worry about contamination such as Cyclospora that recently made nearly 400 people very sick. It was traced back to prepackaged salads. You can read the story here

I got some nice Romaine Lettuce (you can mix your greens, but I tend to be lazy and stick with my fave - good ole romaine), a plastic knife, a cutting board, a colander, a large resealable bag, and a paper towel and went to work. If you have a salad spinner - even better! I need to get one and have been trying to decide between these two:

           

I am taking recommendations though, so please let me know if you have one you really like :)

Back to making my salad bag (without a salad spinner)...I got my Romaine and my plastic knife and went to work

First I cut off the end... the white hard parts are not good - blech

be sure to use a plastic knife - it helps keep the lettuce from turning brown. You can pick up a plastic knife for under $5! Check this one out

Zyliss Lettuce Knife, Green

Next I cut the whole thing in half lengthwise because I like smaller pieces of lettuce in my salad - this is a personal preference, so skip this step if you prefer longer lettuce :)

I separated it just so you could see what I mean. I hold the two pieces together and slice thin strips until the whole thing is cut up - like so...

Then it all goes into the colander to get washed - Sprinkle some white vinegar on the lettuce and toss then rinse with water. The vinegar cleans the lettuce and also keeps it fresh longer

My sink is dark so it's not a great spot to take a picture, but I think you get the idea

I let it drip dry a while if I have time and then I make my own salad spinner (sort of) - it's pretty sad really, but I will share it with you because it works (sort of)

I get a large plastic bowl and fit it on top of the colander and shake...over the sink! Be sure you hold it over the sink or you will splash water all over the kitchen and that's no fun! It's not important how I know that....

I know it's so ridiculous looking, go ahead and laugh - I do!

Once your salad is as dry as it's going to get, then you can start bagging it up. Get a large resealable bag and place a paper towel on the inside. I fold it in half like you see in the picture....

Now bag up the lettuce...

As you are sealing it up, try to squeeze out as much air as you can...

That's it! It's super easy and doesn't take long to do at all!

Store in the fridge and this should last you at least a week. We eat up this amount of salad in just a couple of days, so I haven't needed to replace the toweling, but if your salad sticks around more than a couple days you might want to swap out the towel once or twice with a fresh, dry one.

Enjoy with some homemade salad dressing such as

 Creamy Italian Dressing

Honey Mustard (Just like Outback's)

Cilantro Lime Dressing

Salad Stuffed Shells

By Life Tastes Good
Published 12/16/2012

At a recent gathering where I served all Italian appetizers, these salad stuffed shells made for a healthy vege choice among all of the unhealthy cheese laden food. I was a little hesitant to make this recipe, but I am so glad I did! It is a fun and delicious way to serve salad. It is so versatile too! You can put anything in there you like. The hubs already suggested other ideas - he especially wants a tuna salad stuffed shell. I served these on Deviled Egg Trays for a nice presentation and to keep them from rolling around ;o)

Ingredients

• 1 box jumbo pasta shells
• 1/2 pound sliced Genoa salami
• 1 bag chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup chopped Roma (plum) tomatoes
• 3/4 cup chopped cucumber
• 1/3 cup Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette Dressing

Instructions

1. I made the shells the day before as directed on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. Separate shells and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Combine 1/2 pound sliced salami, 1 bag chopped romaine lettuce, 1 cup chopped roma tomatoes, and 3/4 cup chopped cucumber in a large bowl. Pour 1/3 cup Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette Dressing over salad and toss to coat. Stuff pasta shells with lettuce mixture and serve. You can also make these up and refrigerate up to 2 hours. I wouldn't refrigerate much longer than that as the lettuce will wilt. If you put on some gloves and use your hands to stuff these, it is much easier and quicker than trying to spoon the salad into the shell.

Yield: Serves 8
Prep Time: 20 mins.

Cook time: 10 mins.
Total time: 30 mins.

Recipe inspired by allrecipes.com Salad Stuffed Shells

For another delicious salad try this Antipasti Chopped Salad by The Kitchen Chopper