Customer Reviews

Simply Salads: More than 100 Delicious Creative Recipes Made from Prepackaged Greens and a Few Easy-to-Find Ingredients

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I purchased this cookbook based on the other reviews on Amazon; it is absolutely worth it! There are at least 100 recipes and then if you use mix and match variations you could easily have 100 more. Each recipe comes with a color photo as well as a dressing suggestion. Ms. Chandler offers homemade dressing recipes but you could buy a bottled version if you don't want to make your own. But they are so simple to make and quite a bit healthier (no added preservatives, MSG, etc) that you'll find your self just making dressing from now on.
Many of the salads are complete meals just by adding a meat (she has chapters devoted to chicken, beef, seafood and pork) plus vegetarian options by adding beans, chickpeas, fruit etc. There's a great 7 layer salad that is to die for.
Overall a great cookbook, nice photos, great recipes. Well worth it.
Also, a great gift for someone trying to lead a healthier lifestyle by eating and using truly fresh ingredients.

`Simply Salads' by relative newcomer writer, Jennifer Chandler, is based on a simple and very attractive premise of using cut, cleaned, and bagged greens from your grocers' refrigerated produce section. I am not a great fan of these bagged goods, except for the single variety packs of spinach, arugula, and the like. And, since I am known for excessive nit-picking, let me say at the outset that this is a first rate cookbook resource for someone who really likes salads. For those people, especially people with at least three or four people to feed at a sitting who do not have a lot of time to shop for and prep the individual greens, this is a superb premise, and Ms. Chandler pulls it off with very few gotchas.

The biggest question regarding these packaged greens, of course, is whether to trust the `pre-washed' claim, especially in light of the recent vegetable borne food contamination on spinach and onions. I was firmly in the camp, even before this news, of thoroughly washing all greens, sometimes several times (for spinach especially), and I was backed up in this view by no less then Emeril Lagasse who, on a show a few years back, gave a scolding look to the notion of using unwashed greens, regardless of the packaging. The author tends to believe the packagers' claim of effective pre-washing. I would recommend washing and spinning dry, regardless of how big the `prewashed' blurbs are on the package.

I warmed up to Ms. Chandler's book when I saw her list of recommend kitchen tools and pantry items. These lists seem to be done by every Tom, Dick and Harry cookbook writer, and many are unnecessarily long for the `cook because I have to' working parent. Ms. Chandler's list is just about right. The only things I would add would be bacon, eggs, and buttermilk to the refrigerator list, with the understanding that you will be making buttermilk based dressings at least once a week (and buttermilk is an ingredient in many of the more popular dressings in this book).

The fact that Ms. Chandler assumes you will be making your own dressings, and provides dressing recipes for each salad was the part of the book that really won me over. It also points out that this book is NOT just about speed, as many of the recipes take far longer than the famous '30 Minute Meal' rubric of Ms. R. R. The point of the bagged greens is also not primarily about economy. If anything, it's about shopping time and convenience and avoiding waste. Buying arugula, radicchio, and escarole to create a Mediterranean salad generally leads to having a whole lot of one or two of the ingredients left over. So, while the prepackaged greens may be a bit more expensive than buying them individually, there is less waste. But, as my experience with cooking for only two tells me, buying 10 oz of the packaged greens will not guarantee no waste, especially if your co-diner is finicky, and can't stand the thought of eating the same salad two days in a row. And, many greens do go downhill very quickly. So, the value of this book is far greater for those of you feeding four or more at a sitting compared to those of us who feed only one or ourselves other.

Once you buy into Ms. Chandler's premise, the biggest selling point of the book is the fact that our Jenny recreates virtually every major popular salad known to modern man, from the pre-packaged greens and the homemade dressings. And, most (but not all) of the recipes come very, very close to their classic ethnic sources.

In the 100 recipes, there are recipes for Caesar's salad (classic and neuvo), Cobb's salad, Caprese salad, Panzanella salad, tuna Nicoise salad, antipasti salad, wilted spinach salad, pasta salads, many slaws, and a few potato salads. In addition, there are several saladized versions of classic dishes, such as a blt salad (didn't I tell you that you will need bacon on hand), a pulled pork bbq salad, and a southern fried chicken salad. While the author wisely makes no strong claims about all these salads' being especially healthy, it is relatively easy to see that a blt salad (with no bread) is healthier than the classic sandwich from which it is derived.

It is important to note that a large number of these salads, especially those in the poultry, meat, seafood, and `starches' (beans, grains, rice, & pasta) chapters are excellent single dish main courses. And, even if you have lots of time to cook, single dish main meals still make a lot of sense because you don't have to juggle getting three different courses to the table at the same time, while still piping hot. You do need to realize, however, that the prep and cooking times or setup requirements for the proteins in many of these dishes can be extensive. Several chicken dishes, for example, specify grilling the chicken. Were Ms. C. to bring out a second edition of this book, I would suggest she provide alternate instructions on either baking or broiling the chicken (Ina Garten is especially good at quick and easy baked chicken recipes.) Similarly, there is practically no way one will be able to make true barbecued pulled pork in less than a few hours. I would also suggest that Ms. C. specify one or more brand names for her salad mixes, and indicate which of these are available from organic farms.

My only other reservation about the book is that in spite of her blurb on the cover which says `...and a few easy-to-find ingredients...' there are some ingredients which may require a visit to a speciality market, such as wasabi peas, logs of goat cheese, and Maytag blue cheese. A good megamart such as Wegmans will certainly have all these items, but Wegmans is only in the Northeast US.

I love an exotic salad. I collect specialty cookbooks. Ergo, "Simply Salads" is now an integral part of my collection.

Not without good reason! Right on the cover, Jennifer Chandler announces that her cookbook contains "more than 100 delicious creative recipes made from prepackaged greens and a few easy-to-find ingredients." My goodness, who could ask for more, but I did. I wanted proof. Let's walk through the book. (When I get a new cookbook, I start at the beginning and leaf through every single page, stopping at certain recipes to read for difficulty and ingredients. Oh my, but I want to try so many recipes from this book.)

This introductory chapter displays all the packaged greens, a standard list of kitchen aids needed, and pantry items. The first recipe is "Steakhouse Wedge Salad" and what a gorgeous photo (Every single recipe has a close-up photo of the salad). By the way, each recipe comes with a homemade dressing, but, of course, store-bought can be used. Here's a Wilted Spinach Salad with mushrooms and an egg-based dressing.

The book is arranged by categories of salads. The two recipes above come from the Greens chapter. Others are the various meats, Fruit, then Beans, Grains, Rice & Pasta, next Slaws, and the additional Dressings chapter. Let's continue our flip-through: Grilled Romaine with mandarin orange slices and toasted almonds with a green goddess dressing. Does it look great! Black and Blue Chicken Salad (Bleu cheese and blackened chicken), Prosciutto and Melon Salad, Beef Tenderloin Salad with Horseradish Dressing (yogurt, sour cream, horseradish, and mayonnaise--sounds heavenly, yes?), and Grilled Lamb and Tabbouleh Salad for a Middle Eastern flavor.

Try this one: Seared Salmon over Mixed Greens (Spring Mix, feta crumbles, dried cranberries, and candied pecans with a Raspberry Vinaigrette. Isn't this a wow?) Or two of my favorite ingredients: Butter Lettuce with Smoked Salmon, capers, and Dill with Lemon Vinaigrette.

From the Vegetable chapter: Warm Fingerling Potato Salad (you gotta love fingerlings), the fabulous Caprese Salad (tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil with balsamic vinaigrette), Meze-in-a-Minute Platter--you will love this (Romaine lettuce, tabbouleh, hummus, dolmas [stuffed grape leaves], black olives, and tiny pita wedges.

So many of these salads are so summery. My personal favorite (and that was a difficult choice) is Mango, Avocado, and Cilantro Salad made with Spring Mix and chopped red onions. Just think of those flavors and textures. I wonder if I threw in a few boiled shrimp? This fruit chapter offers so many tempting recipes: Orange and Fennel Salad, Watermelon and Argula with feta and toasted pine nuts, Arugula with figs, pancetta, goat cheese.

With summer coming, a book like this, with choices and ingredients acquired ahead, coming home from work and making any of these divine salads will make your evening fresh and refreshing. Feed the kids hot dogs and put on a movie in the den. If the husband insists on meat, grill a chicken breast. Now you can have a relaxing meal on the patio with a bottle of wine or chilled tea. Let your day unwind with "simply salads."

_Simply Salads_ is number one for me. After using many salad books and having to make many separate recipes for each salad - this book comes along and tells you how to buy bags of pre-washed salad greens(yes, you can trust that- just check with the UC Berkeley newsletter who convinced me)and other pre-cut vegetables and add in easy ingredients that anyone can find and turn out really fantastic salads that the family will request over and over.
The book is organized in an easy format first explaining all the salad blends, then the recipes are organized by poultry, meat, seafood, vegetable, fruit, bean,grain and pasta, and slaws, with a final chapter for vinaigrettes and dressings that is so good and so healthful that you will never go back to store bought. Easy too!
Many of the salads are easily main course meals. My children love all the ones we have made and several are absolute favorites -
like 'hearts of romaine with tart apples, hazelnuts and cheddar cheese (we use Pink Lady instead of Granny Smith); 'Asian noodle salad with peanut dressing'; 'creamy broccoli slaw'; and a strong favorite - 'chicken tostada salad'.
Overall, this book is a great way to get the family to eat healthy foods and it is all made *so* easy. What more could you want?

I want to thank one of my Amazon Friends for bringing this book to my attention. Salads can actually be "meals-in-themselves," and this book provides a few examples of that. Sometimes, when I'm fixing a meal just for myself, I make a hearty salad to do the trick.

This book has an interesting premise. The author, Jennifer Chandler, begins by saying (Page vii): "Packaged salad blends have changed the way I enjoy salads. With all the varieties of greens now available at the grocery store, it has never been easier to make a great and tasty salad." Some of the blends you can get in a store? Here are ones that I routinely purchase: hearts of romaine, baby spinach, spring mix, European, sweet baby greens, field greens, broccoli slaw, etc.

But it is the recipes that are the heart of this book--over 100 of them. Here are some recipes that I look forward to making. Wilted spinach salad: a bag of baby spinach salad (very nice!), button mushrooms, and the dressing--olive oil, red vinegar, garlic, tarragon, salt, pepper, sugar, and an egg. Sounds yummy to me! I like goat cheese (go ahead, label me a wimp!). Warm Goat Cheese Salad sounds interesting to me (I use goat cheese in salads that I make for myself--my family is resistant, so it's only when I'm fixing for myself that I use this). The salad itself includes European blend, goat cheese, egg, olive oil, bread crumbs, salt and pepper--with a vinaigrette dressing.

For a full meal? Sounds like Chicken Florentine Salad might do the trick. The salad includes pine nuts, olives, capers (yum!), baby spinach, boneless chicken breasts, orzo--and a lemon-parmesan vinaigrette.

And so on. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to playing with some of these recipes. This sure looks like a good addition to my kitchen library.

"Simply Salads" is a book full of great salad recipes. I was hesitant to buy the book at first since the recipes used prepackaged greens. I have never, ever seen prepackaged greens that look very fresh, certainly not as fresh as what I see in the photographs (which are excellent -- lots of great pictures). I just decided to buy the greens fresh and make the salads by mixing the greens myself. I'm glad I did, and I found that Ms. Chandler had added the complete list of ingredients for each type of prepackaged green in the front of the book, which helped a lot. It was easy to make substitutions in various recipes. For instance, for the "Mandarin Orange Slaw" (which is delicious) I used fresh satsuma orange slices and fresh juice instead of the canned mandarin oranges and canned juice. I bought the greens that make up the Italian Blend and mixed them for the "Cheese Tortellini Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinagrette" -- it was fantastic. This book is full of great recipes, and you can change them to suit your own tastes as I did. I would love to know, however, where the author finds those beautiful packaged greens... I wish we had them as nice as that in our stores! If you do have access to such things you will be able to make the salads very quickly, but I did not find it took that much time to do it from fresh, individual bunches of greens.

I thoroughly enjoy the recipes in this cook book. Jennifer uses package salad greens that are easily found at any grocery store. The other ingredients are easy to find vinegars, oils and juices. I have made several salads and have enjoyed each one. My favorite thing about these recipes is that they are all quick to put together. Anyone looking for restaurant quality salads that are quick and inexpensive to make will love this book.

Salads are one entrée I think I could live off of. There are just so many ways to make a salad that I think it is impossible to get sick of. Now don't get me wrong I am not a vegetarian, but I do love vegetables and I think in my past life I was a rabbit!

The book Simply Salads by Jennifer Chandler has become one of my favorite cookbooks. It has more than 100 delicious recipes all made from lettuce and a few easy-to-find ingredients. I love just how simple they are and that there is even recipes for salad dressings. Oh and many of the recipes even include adding meat!

Now I can prepare awesome salads both as side dishes and main entrees. I have even received compliments on how the salads look too good to eat! I also love to there are more than fifty different combinations of lettuces, packed in just the right size to choose from and experiment with! I think my favorite is the Balsamic Strawberry Salad, which is super easy and delicious! I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to add more "green" to their kitchen meals, even if you are not normally a lettuce eater!

I was given this book to review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

This book is everything I had hoped for and more. I am always looking for simple, but different salads for my family and this book is it. There is a wide variety of combinations and the best part is that there are recipes for salad dressing for each salad. Very simple ones! Bagged lettuce is the main ingredient for the salads and there are so many options. You can mix and match some of the elements also as far as meats or seafood and there are beautiful pictures of each and every salad. There is also a note on how many side salads or dinner salads each recipe will make. I would recommend this book to anyone that has ever thought..........what kind of salad can I make? Superb!! and AAAAAAAAAAAA+

"Salad" is not necessarily synonymous with "healthy," which is something I should have considered before I purchased this book. The diet I'm currently on owes its success in large part to the fact that I eat salad for lunch every day. The reason I bought this book was because I was sick to death of eating the same boring salad and wanted some creative new ideas.

If your motives are similar, you might be a little bit disappointed by this book, which has more than a few salads with rich, less-than-healthy ingredients and doesn't even include nutritional information in case you get caught out wondering if what you're about to eat is going to bust your diet for the week. It does, however, deliver my hoped-for trove of ideas for jazzing up a boring green salad.

I use this book as inspiration, and have only faithfully made a few of the recipes. I substitute or omit a lot of ingredients because I have a pretty good handle on how many calories I can have and which foods provide too many. If you're following a strict diet, though, where you're counting every calorie and gram of fat this book may be more trouble than it's worth ... better to go with a title that promises more diet-friendly recipes.