In my post about salads (LINK) I did not mention adding meat to your salad. However, that is yet another excellent way to make your salads taste different, by adding different meats to it.
I don’t add meat to my salad every day. It isn’t because I’m opposed to it. But I do try to maintain a balance in my diet, and to not eat too much protein. (Because it’s far, far too easy for me to eat too much protein, and my weight shows it.)
For example, while I was doing the previous salad post I was purposefully not adding meat to my salad because I was eating a slice of bacon-liver pate every day instead. When I know that we’re going out for sushi/sashimi that night, I won’t add meat to my salad because I’ll be getting so much protein for dinner. Etc.
I came up with four ways in which I add meat to my salads. Hope these tips are useful!
1. Bacon
Seriously, who doesn’t love bacon? I have a somewhat restrictive diet, on the one hand. However, I don’t think of it as restrictive. One of the reasons I feel that way is because I always get to eat as much bacon as I want.
We get really good bacon as well. My husband and I buy half a pig from a local organic ranch, and we get good bacon that doesn’t have crap in it as part of that. Once we finish off the stuff from the pig, we go back to buying Hempler’s green label bacon ends. Hempler’s red label has crap in it. The green label does not. In addition, it’s inexpensive, particularly for bacon. We get two pounds for $5.99.
This is not pretty bacon strips. It’s the ends and pieces, hunks and very thin strips.
We cut the entire package up and cook the two pounds at once, then eat bacon like bonbons for the next week or so. And I love adding bacon to my salad. I heat it up first, along with some of the fat, then pour all of that over my salad. Yum.
2. Chicken thighs
I will cook a package of chicken thighs, then add one of those to my salad over the course of a week.
To cook the chicken thighs: I melt about a tablespoon of coconut oil and I brush the outside of the thighs with that. I sprinkle garlic and salt on them, as well as a touch of cayenne. I cook them at 350 for 75 minutes. This makes the skin crunchy and the meat moist. We also use the drippings for cooking other things.
3. Hot dogs
Hear me out. It is possible to buy hot dogs that don’t have crap in them. We get the Grand Teton brand from Costco.
I’ll cut a hot dog lengthwise, then chop it into small pieces before I warm it up and toss it onto my salad. It’s a lovely addition that is both different in terms of texture and flavor.
I’ll also add sausages to my salads.
4. Left overs
This covers a wide variety of meats. Pretty much any meat we cook will go into a salad. So pork chops, ribs, ribeye, BBQ, chicken, lamb, again, anything that is available in the fridge. Or left overs from a restaurant. I’ve even made “warm” salad by adding a bunch of veggies to a left-over stir fry. Depends on the meat whether or not I’ll warm it up before adding it to the salad.
So there you have it. More salad tips!
I’m in Vegas for a workshop for the next week, so I don’t expect to be here much during that time.
My husband and I are thinking about getting another box o’meat from the ranch. Not sure we want 50 lbs, but we’re considering it. Do you ever buy meat in bulk? Any tips or tricks?
Our meat supplier: https://www.windynranch.com/