4 Steps to the Best Salad | Indigo Inspired Blog

Ever wonder why takeout or restaurant salad is so delicious? There’s an art to combining ingredients, but it’s something every home chef can achieve, according to Mandy Wolfe, co-founder of Mandy’s Salads. Sisters Mandy and Rebecca Wolfe have garnered a devout following for their restaurants and their cookbooks centred upon the leafy dish. The first thing to nail? Find the freshest ingredients you can. Next? Scroll for the four game-changing steps to the best salad ever.

A woman checking on croutons baking in an oven.

Step 1

Focus on Textures

For each bite, “you want crunchy and you want smooth in there,” Mandy says. “I love a coleslaw, but I find it's boring after a while in my mouth.” To get the perfect combo in every salad, add in extras like croutons, toasted nuts, crisp bacon, and seeds alongside fats, like a hefty dose of avocado, soft cheese, and/or rich dressing.

A selection of fresh, colourful vegetables spread out on a table.

Step 2

Make It Colourful

“You want to eat with your eyes,” says Mandy. “We always say, ‘Eat the rainbow.’” So vary up your greens—from kale to radicchio—and incorporate as many colours as you can from fruits to root veggies, and beyond.

Freshly dressed salad being transferred into a patterned serving bowl.

Step 3

Embrace Umami

You want that umami richness of flavour, Mandy says. “Whether it's salt or tamari … we often put some parm in our dressings or nutritional yeast just to give it that richness, that satisfying element.” Doing that will give your salads that je ne sais quoi.

An appetizing bowl of salad in a serving bowl with a wooden spoon.

Step 4

Add Lots of Herbs

“It's nature's flavour enhancer, and there should be an abundance of herbs,” Mandy says, adding that they use lots of them in their dressings. Grab a generous amount, too. Think a handful of basil, dill, mint, parsley, or cilantro.

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The Co-Founder of Mandy's Salads on Slaying Salads