Cool Salads

A classic way to beat the heat is to prepare dishes that need no (or minimal) cooking. Right up at the top of my list right now are luscious big main-dish salads, with lots of veggies, some kind of protein, and a few fresh blueberries or strawberries just because. Tossed with salad greens, of course.

But I live by myself, and usually a head of lettuce goes bad before I can finish it all. Then I tried this storage trick, which I’m delighted to share with you.

What you need

1.   Some sort of rectangular refrigerator storage box. I use the plastic boxes from the dollar store that are meant for shoes; that’s just about the perfect size.

2.  Paper towels.

3.  A lettuce spinner (or some other technique for rinsing and drying leaves).

The very simple process

• First, separate the leaves from the core, and wash and dry them. My spinner does the job in seconds, but you could also rinse the leaves in a large bowl of water and dry them on a clean dish towel.

• Then, cover the bottom of your refrigerator box with 1 or 2 paper towels. Put the leaves in, up to about halfway. One more paper towel, and then the rest of the leaves.

• One final paper towel on top, and close the box tightly.

I usually have a mixture of red-leaf, green-leaf, and romaine, plus anything else that catches my eye.

And I’m telling you, in this towel-lined, tightly closed box, they stay remarkably fresh and crisp for as long as two weeks. Yes, it’s a bit of work at first (but not much, truly), but it is so worth the effort. Now, check the next page for a great salad dressing.