Salad Toppers - Adding the Perfect Finishing Touch Without Piling on Calories

Posted by Chantel M,, Recipe By Christine Szalay-Kudra 

Salads often get a bad reputation for being boring plates of rabbit food. This is not true! Any salad can become exciting with a few thoughts put toward the ingredients and what kind of toppers to use. Most people turn immediately to croutons or bacon crumbles when they think of salad toppers. Both of these raise the caloric level too much for people who are doing their best to eat in a healthy manner.
Low calorie salad toppers can be delicious. With a little attention to detail, you can add nutritious, flavorful toppers that add textural interest to your salads. Take tofu crumbles for instance. Before you write off tofu, think how they would taste after being fried lightly in oil to give it a delicious crisp exterior.
You can roast a handful of chickpeas for a crunchy touch, or toast some pumpkin seeds. Spice up some walnuts with paprika, coriander, fennel, cumin, and salt and let them toast in the oven before sprinkling them liberally over your salad. Slice up garlic cloves into tiny wedges, similar to toasted almonds. Fry them up over medium low heat in extra virgin olive oil until they are golden and fragrant. Drain them on paper towels and then mix with your salad for an instant flavor infusion.
Parmesan crisps are always a hit. Grate some Parmesan cheese and place piles of them on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and let them melt. Take them out and let them cool into crisp discs of cheesy goodness. Serve them whole with your salad or crumble them over the top for a nice change of pace from plain old grated cheese.
Fresh fruit such as sliced strawberries or raspberries are a nice way to dress up a salad. Sweet corn kernels, chopped orange wedges, black beans and many other healthy ingredients do a great job of jazzing up your average salad. Flaked tuna, salmon or chopped shrimp may also be good choices when you are in the mood for some seafood. For crunch, consider roasted soy beans from your local market's bulk food section, or some cashews or sunflower seeds. Any of these additions will add a healthy, yet interesting twist to your salad.
Recipe for Pan-fried Sage Leaves
This technique can also be used with other herbs like oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
What You Need

• 10 - 20 fresh sage leaves
• extra virgin olive oil

How to Make ItHeat a small skillet on medium heat. Add a dash of extra virgin olive oil to the pan. When the oil is hot and fragrant, add several intact sage leaves to the oil. Let them cook until the leaves begin to puff up and darken slightly around the edges. This takes about 30 seconds.
Turn the leaves using tongs. Continue to cook until they are a nice dark green. Do not wait until they are brown. Let the leaves cool on paper towels. Crumble over the top of a salad.

Choose some tasty easy party appetizers for your next get together. Food makes everyone more at ease with each other. Choose at least one delicious cold appetizer recipe for everyone to enjoy. Cold appetizers can often be made ahead of time.
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