by Vickie Gross

Created on: November 14, 2009   Last Updated: November 28, 2009

When it comes to creating a healthy salad, there are two main types of lettuce-based salads to choose from. A "complete meal" salad would be a chef salad, whereas a very basic salad is referred to as a side salad, dinner salad, or house salad.

Lettuce, however, comes in a variety of textures and flavors. Some salad connoisseurs may prefer the bitter dandelion and spicy mustard lettuces, while others may prefer the crispier textures and lighter flavors of the Romaine or Iceberg lettuces. In either case, the darker green or reddish colors a lettuce has, the more nutrients it contains.

A Chef salad utilizes lettuce more as a base, or filler, while the toppings represent the primary meal. A Chef Salad usually consists of proteins as well as essential vitamins and minerals. A Chef salad is one of the most well rounded and nutritiously satisfying meals to help overcome binge eating and peculiar food cravings.

Chef Salad:

Boil one to two eggs and then set them aside to cool. Pull, shred or group, some lettuce onto a dinner plate. Add some sliced or shredded carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, green onions, or whatever vegetables you enjoy eating fresh. Dribble some extra virgin olive oil over the mix and add some dried herb flavorings such as garlic, thyme, marjoram, oregano or parsley. Slice thin strips of turkey, ham, or chicken, and cheese. Place these strips from the center of your salad going outward toward the edges of the plate. Peel and slice, or quarter, the eggs and lay them on top of the salad for a fulfilling design. Add fresh bacon pieces if you like. Top off with your favorite salad dressing, or salt and pepper. Usually a chef salad does not require croutons or crackers, but they do add a nice finishing touch to the salad. For a vegetarian chef salad, simply leave out the meat and add in more of your favorite vegetables, cheese or lettuce.

House Salad:

A house salad is very basic, usually consisting of lettuce, a piece or two of a quartered tomato, a couple strands of shredded or grated cheese and perhaps a couple of croutons to present a caesar-style salad. House salad is named appropriately, as it will often vary in size and ingredients from house to house or from restaurant to restaurant.

Concerning restaurants and salads, the plating of a house salad is often left up to the waiter or waitress. The Chef, on the other hand, plates a chef salad. When paying for, and expecting, someone else to know how to create a healthy salad for you, this little tip can be useful in discerning who gets the credit or not.

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