Brett Eats A Salad

My definition of a balanced diet.

Big deal right? Everyone eats salads.  Nope. Not this guy.  I ate one last week, though (twice actually) but I doubt anyone that really knows me will believe it.  I am going to tell you about it anyway.

First of all, let me say that I am a (somewhat) healthy eater and my avoidance of salads has nothing to do with any childish avoidance of greens.  I actually love vegetables and am a regular consumer of whatever green side item appears on plate with dinner.  Salads have just never been my thing though.  In my mind lettuce is the most pointless, unsatisfying vegetable ever invented.  It is cold, crunchy and flavorless and the only way to make anything out if it is to cover it with dressings and other stuff to mask its lack of personality.  As a passionate hater of anything with even a hint of vinegar, it has always been easier to avoid the salad plate entirely rather than find some combination of things that would make a salad a worthwhile use of my time.  Call me lazy and unsophisticated but that is just the way I have rolled for most of the last 34 years.

Thanks to Chris, I now sing a different tune. 

Apparently salads do not have to start with a pile of boring lettuce and end with any type of “vinaigrette”.  Furthermore, a few simple flavors go a long way.  Allow me to introduce my new favorite salad and the shortest recipe ever to land on this website…

Chris's Arugula Salad

Arugula

1/2 apple chopped

Fresh lemon juice

Salt & pepper

Olive oil

Yep, that is it. That is all it took to make me a regular consumer of the one staple of American dining that I have avoided like the plague.

Arugula is not lettuce.  Lettuce is filler but arugula has such a great texture and flavor that I snack on the leaves by themselves while Chris is doing whatever she is doing to prepare our meals.  Why then would I not consider using it as the basis for a salad? I am stupid but we will not dwell on that for now…

Apples add a little extra substance and the rest just adds extra flavor and a little moisture.  If I had known this would actually count as a salad then I would have been eating them for years. It is never too late though, so here I am, craving a salad with my dinner tonight.

Who knows, maybe this is a turning of a whole new leaf for me?  That was a God-awful pun there but seriously, maybe I will start eating salads all the time.  In the spring I can start a garden and plant some arugula trees (or whatever the hell plant arugula comes from).  I may even consider options to beef this thing up and make a meal out of it (bacon, anyone?)

I will not be turning into any kind of health nut vegetarian anytime soon but I am glad Chris opened this door for me.  This is what she does; she takes my previous misconceptions about certain foods and smashes them with a hammer until I feel like a fool for being so narrow minded for so long. In the end I am thankful for it and love her just a little bit more.   

Now excuse me while I go eat a salad….