The golden rule when putting together a salad is to use fresh ingredients. The fresher the ingredients, the better the salad! Not only do fresh ingredients taste better, but the nutrient value is higher.
The basis of a salad should always be something green, so pick from different lettuces such as romaine, iceberg, rocket, radicchio, chard, spinach, butterhead lettuce, or whatever fresh greens are available to you. Pick a crunchy lettuce such as iceberg and mix it with a soft leaf such as rocket. Rinse and dry the lettuce leaves thoroughly. When you have a good plate of fresh greens, you can start to add value to your salad.
Next, add color. Try adding tomatoes, sliced red or yellow bell peppers, red onions, or carrots. You can bulk up on vegetables by adding sliced cucumber, sugar snap peas, or sliced celery.
After you've added most of the vegetables, choose something that will add flavor such as olives or cheeses like parmesan or feta and some fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, mint, or cilantro.
At this stage, you have most of a good salad, but to increase texture, add some crunch. Whole chia seeds will do just that, so go ahead and sprinkle some all over your fresh vegetables. Other crunchy elements that are always a great addition are pine nuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.
All that's left to do is dress it up! So, mix three parts olive oil with one part vinegar (such as balsamic or red wine vinegar), and add a little honey and mustard. Season the dressing with salt and pepper and give it a good stir or shake it if it's in a jar. Dress your salad, and you can't lose! You'll have a delicious, fresh, nutritious salad that's great on its own or served alongside a main meal.