The Salad Project: How to Build Unlimited Salads

“I’m on a mission to synonymize salad with abundance, energy, and hefty portions of nothing but goodness,” writes debut author Haxby, culinary director of the U.K.’s Salad Project restaurant chain, in this practical guide. A thorough introduction explains Haxby’s dressing-forward approach (“It’s the dressing that pulls you toward a salad in the first place”) and provides winning ratios for flavor-packed bowls and tips for stocking one’s pantry. After a chapter on “crunches and kicks”—toppings like maple-coated walnuts and pickled onions that can be premade in bulk—salad recipes are organized by dressing type, whether “creamy, zingy, spicy, or herby.” Coconut-curry and lime dressing tops a butter bean salad with mango, avocado, parsley, and pistachios, while “super versatile” spiced tahini and date molasses dressing adorns roasted eggplant with quinoa. “Green + crunch” salad is made up of “a little bit of everything,” including broccolini and avocado, and finished with a classic apple cider vinaigrette. “The GOAT,” the Salad Project’s herbaceous bestseller, is doused with green goddess dressing, while a salad of shredded cabbage with garlic-thyme chicken thighs gets its kick from miso-mustard dressing. Haxby offers helpful tips throughout (“The best way to taste whether your dressing packs enough punch is to dip a lettuce leaf in and give it a taste”). Home cooks looking to up their salad game are sure to be inspired. (Jan.)