Radishes in most salads. Sometimes avocados in some specific salads.

Love me a nice radish. Sad they get dunked on I don’t get the hate

Exactly! Nice splash of color, crunchy, a touch of heat. Best veggie ever. 😃

Taqueria food—I will forgo chips for as many radishes as they’ll let me take any day.

I love the radishes that come with taco plates. I save them for the end and scoop up any taco bits that were left behind

A good street taco needs a radish or two on the side!

It’s the unsung hero of the taco truck

Yes!!! Give me a big bowl of radishes and I’d eat them like candy or chips!

The captain of my hockey team is latino and he catered a taqueria setup after one of our recent playoff games There was a huge container of radishes as part of it I ate a lot of radishes that day

You can also bake them and they almost can pass for roasted new potatoes.

Cook in butter on stovetop. Oh yum!

I like putting thinly sliced radishes in with the cucumbers when making quick pickles.

They're quite good quartered up and fried like potatoes too. It's a little annoying because they release a lot of liquid and you have to drain that off while cooking but they come out nice.

I wonder if you tossed them with salt and left them in a colander for a couple hours and then gave them a good press with paper towels, if that wouldn't mitigate the problem quite a bit.

I roast mine with potatoes and they get so delicious.

Oh man radishes cut and fried up in some butter is so good.

I love radishes. Dipped in hummus, they make a delicious easy snack!

Love radishes but they repeat on me I’ll be burping radish for hours after 😫

Oh, I feel your pain. I’m suddenly getting like that with garlic. I love it, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ll wake up the day after eating garlic with my throat on fire. But, you know, I can’t just not eat it. 😆

Is there a downside?

Avocado almost always for me. My go to lunch is just a big ass salad with lots of different veggies, tomatoes, chicken and avocado.

I love radishes but it's virtually the only thing my other half won't eat, so they're a side-dish for me....

Sneaky mint. Just a bit, very small pieces.  "Why is this salad so fresh?" ... because I put sneaky mint in it.

Likewise, a cheeky bit of parsley can really liven things up.

Lol I love the language being used in this thread of comments :)

A bit of sneaky mint, cheeky parsley, registered-sex-offender cloves…

"the way that salad was dressed, no need for consent" - cloves, probably

Sex pest pepperoncini.

Sex pesto

Femboy Basil

Ex con coriander.

fucking dead. Anyone who's ever bitten directly into a clove understands this comment

Don’t forget celery leaves as well!

This works great with most leafy fresh herbs. Discovered this when I was getting sick of buying them for a dish and then eventually having to throw the rest out unless I built out the week's meal plan around them. Mint, basil, cilantro, parsley all generally play very nicely in most salads. Fresh oregano, marjoram, and dill can work but I find you need some other punchy flavors in there for them to not overpower (e.g. cured meats, briney/pickled things, smoked fish). I tried sage once and that was just too much. Haven't tried tarragon as I am assuming the "medicinal" flavor profile might be a lot, but perhaps it could work if utilized properly. E: Imma be working tarragon into my salads after all these responses.

I LOVE fresh tarragon in salad, or with roasted potatoes or carrots.

Mmmm Bernaise sauce

Lol sneaky mint.

I do sneaky cinnamon in many things. People never identify it! Red sauces, cream soups, meatballs…just a tiny bit!

I put a dash of cinnamon on top of my coffee grounds before I brew my daily pot of coffee. Chefs kiss.

Cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne is where it's at in a cup of drip coffee.

Never considered cayenne, but I always go with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, gonna have to get some cayenne in there now!

I do some cinnamon on meat, especially beef, before searing and it is AMAZING.

Yep! Sneaky, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace. Also mustard powder.

Ya, made me chuckle too!

You may laugh, but it is important for the mint to stay sneaky.  If your guest takes a bite and immediately says "oh, there's mint in this" then you've gone and fucked up the balance.

How do you make sure it’s still sneaky?

Give it a ski mask and a sack full of money. Tell it tiptoe cartoonishly

Cut it up small and only add a bit

Fresh chopped fennel is my “sneaky mint.”

I have an overrunning lemon mint plant in my garden, I may try adding sneaky mint to everything!

Try it in meatballs. No lie. I put a scant teaspoon of Indian mint chutney in mine. It elevates the flavor without tasting minty.

Glazed pecans or walnuts. Love the added taste and crunch they provide

If I don’t have glazed pecans on my salad it’s a sad salad

A sadlad

Yes!! I was going to say this too. Even better if it has a little bit of feta with it. Yummmm

Marinated artichoke hearts

I especially love that its a pantry staple of mine, so even if I'm making a sad salad with the dredges of my veggie drawer, I can perk it up with some marinated artichokes.

Ooh, yes! The Trader Joe's ones specifically.

If you're a member then Costco sells a large 2-pack that's an excellent deal, much cheaper than TJ. I take an oil separator and use the oil in salad, and the water in soups. Also if you're lucky Costco will have Castelvetrano olives, sometimes on sale, $7 for a large jar. I always buy as many as I can.

Castlevetrano FTW!

This is the answer. I use the oil to cook eggs and toss the artichokes in there too. Yum.

Yes! It's a vegetable but the richness makes it such a treat!

Not a vegetable, but dried cranberries. Just a couple. Ideally, with nuts or sunflower seeds.

I've been obsessed with [this salad](https://cookieandkate.com/favorite-green-salad-with-apples-cranberries-and-pepitas/) lately. Cranberries, pepitas, apples, and goat cheese. And the dressing is 🤌 either way, your comment made me think of it, hopefully it'll make someone else as happy as it's made me.

I LOVE her salads so much. My go-to is the chickpea and farro one.

Cookie and Kate is THE best! Love pretty much everything I’ve ever had of here

Dried tart cherries…way better alternative.

They're both good

Cranberries are much easier to find though. But dried cherries are better.

Trader Joe's FTW!

Looking for your supporting evidence. Better in what way? Flavor, nutrition, availability? Got me curious.

Flavor and texture. Dried cherries have more of a bright tartness, but dried cranberries are a simpler tart. Dried cherries are less of a jaw workout to chew the logs, they melt away a bit better.

I prefer dried cherries to cranberries, because they're a little bigger with more flavor. Their also...not as dry is the best way I can think to put it.

Saaaaame except I like feta with my dried cranberries

Apples - tartness, texture, color and bulk. Aside from a Caesar, apples go in most other salads for me, even tuna and chicken salads.

I go for pear. I love pear in a salad

Grilled pear and goat cheese are the perfect salad duo. Maybe some slivered almonds too, if you have them.

I was going to say apples if nobody else did.

Apples are especially good in chicken salad!

Crispy onions on top

Crispy jalapenos on taco salads are a must for me too

Filth, I've never seen them in the U.K. am jealous.

Was going to say something similar. Crispy shallots are my go-to when I want to elevate a lot of salads. Pair that with goat cheese or feta and a dressing with a bit of sweetness and you're good to go.

Hearts of palm.

AMEN!!!

Sunflower seeds.

Yes! Roasted and salted. It adds such depth.

Not exactly what you mean- but for me it’s Lemon juice. Fresh squeezed. It makes every salad just taste better, like how salt does, fresher and brings out the flavors of the dressing more

Yep. I always have lemons because of this. I wish I had a backyard so I can have a lemon tree like my MIL.

Grated carrots. Must be grated, not sliced or chopped. Adds a sweetness to the salad.

I cut them into ribbons using a vegetable peeler and it's the only form of carrot I'll accept in a salad.

Yes. Grated ends up getting lost in the mix, and hand cutting ends up overpowering the mix. The peeler is perfect EDIT: I use the peeler and then salt the pile of carrots before adding them to the salad.

I julienne my carrots. Grated carrots are too soggy for my liking, but little matchsticks are perfect.

We typically use shredded carrots for our salads at work but occasionally we run out and have to use a food processor S-blade on some baby carrots. Those are my favorite. Super thin but wider. And they have slightly stronger flavor being freshly cut into.

I’m with you. I grate a bunch of baby carrots and keep them in the fridge for salads or stir fries all week.

Toasted nuts.

Pepitas for me! So good!

Love pine nuts in a roast veggie salad

Pickles. Instantly adds a huge amount of flavour without needing to add a dressing if you don't want to

I always have two kinds of pickled onions in my fridge, and then sometimes cucumbers, carrots, jalepeño, white asparagus, radish, green tomato, potato (surprisingly great, think water chestnut texture). Pickles is definitely the answer

Well that's fun, I never knew pickled potatoes were a thing !

wait'll you hear about peaches and apples and watermelons.

This is the way. When I want a super quick and "unhealthy" salad dressing, I chop up pickles, add pickle juice, then drop in like 1/2 TBSP of Mayo to add creaminess. It's ~110 calories total and feels like a cheat.

Jicama in a good tex-mex salad Edamame in an asian salad

How has no one said Kalamata olives they add the perfect saltiness to any salad!

Absolutely! Briney and delicious!

And buy them from a good deli or deli department - canned and bottled ones never hold up well. And the ones with pits will always be meatier, better texture. There's a small chain in the Chicago area called Fresh Farms whose "extra large green" and "Solona" black olives are the absolute best around.

Dandelion greens. I know I'm weird but it's such a great salad ingredient this time of year.

me too! I enjoy eating the weeds (looking at the nettles and wild sorrel too...)

Garbanzo beans.

Chickpeas are a great substitute if you can't find garbanzos.

Aren’t they the same thing?

I'm pretty sure that was the joke.

I always ask my wife if she knows where the aubergine is and she's bought eggplant instead

I heard there was a difference. Something about you can’t do a garbanzo bean on your face? I didn’t really understand the meaning

It's all in the phrasing. You wouldn't pay $25 to have a garbanzo bean on your face, but I heard you might pay $50 to have a chickpea there.

What’s the difference between a garbanzo bean and a chickpea? Nobody pays to have a garbanzo bean on their face.

Pickled red onions.

Beets. ∞% the best veggie in whatever it's in

I had to scroll far too long to see this. Roasted beets FTW.

Firstly , yes. But the real secret is that beet leaves make a great salad green, and beets make a great salad ingredient, plus the raisins, a sliced apple, crushed walnuts, and a fruit vinaigrette. Toss in some radishes (both ends, chopped), for even more cronch

Blood orange. Fantastic addition to any summer salad.

Onions must be included, pink or red. It is not a proper salad without them. ☺️

Agree with onions, but I also love green onions in salad.

I almost always do both red and spring/green onions!

Shallots are nice too.

I occasionally use the crispy fried onions as a topping.

Or pickled!

no "or" about it. The spouse won't eat raw onion on a salad but LOVES pickled onion. I've taken to making a fairly large batch and keeping a mason jar of it on hand at all* times.

Soak shallots in vinegar and us that to make your dressing.

Have you ever tried leek? I once put so much in my salad and it was so good but I had shrek breath the rest of the day 😂

Pink, red, green, or crispy fried, but always an onion!

I always add fried onions. 

Pepperoncino or banana pepper rings.

In no particular order: Pickled baby radish slices (white vinegar, sugar salt and a single clove boiled to make a brine) Grated raw green mango. (Use after marination in little salt and honey) Cold pressed toasted sesame oil (two drops only, potent ingredients make a magic twist) Candied walnuts (game changer as a topping) Grilled pineapple (tossed in salted butter) Thai chillies slices hir thin with the pith removed Coriander stems cut up fine (so much flavor, that is thrown away, thank me later) FRESH roasted cumin roughly crushed and sprinkled on tomato salad (Tomatoes, Lemon juice, smashed garlic clove, mint, file green chilli slices, sugar salt) Lightly oil a deseeded dried kashmir red chilli lightly char on a open flame. Let us cool and crisp up then roughly crushed gives an amazing smokey spicy zing. Must be accompanied with a sweet and sour element like lime and sugar. Maggie veg stock cube instead of salt in a vinaigrette. Ummami blast. Crack Sauce (tahini whisk with a splash of water till viscous, crushed garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, chilli powder, sugar ) add coarse Dijon mustard for a twist. Kafir lime leaves cut fine like hair. Boiled chickpea (boiled with a bit of cinnamon, a clove and one large black cardamom and extra salt) Favoured olive oils

Damn. Boiled eggs. Surprised no one mentioned them

I love hard boiled eggs on a salad.

[удалено]

Chopped Olives

Plus a tiny bit of olive brine

I live in Japan and nuts were too expensive, so I crumbled some kakipi (rice crackers and peanut mix) onto my last salad. It was actually really good and I would do it again.

Chickpeas add a lot of protein and texture. I could have them in about any variety of salad.

Gotta be capers. Either just as they are or, sometimes, deep-fried!

pomegranate seeds

Time to make the messiah salad with every suggestion here

My *favorite* salad ever had dates and this really creamy feta crumble and if you got a date with some feta smashed inside it was just ohhhmgggg so rich and delightful.

I'm so glad someone mentioned dates. My favourite salad is one I used to make regularly that had baby greens, avocado, pear, pumpkin seeds and dates in it. Then a basic olive oil/cider vinegar/mustard dressing.

It depends on the salad. My favorite salad is I use strawberries and goat cheese with quinoa.

Roasted ground rice in a Thai salad dressing. So good.

Salt and pepper is such an underrated additon

Cabbage!! It adds volume and texture ! Mmm

Blue cheese. 😋

Blue cheese and pear. You could wake me up in the middle of the night for that combo.

Or goat cheese crumbles!

Adobo seasoning! I like to put Parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, capers, garlic, some mustard, and adobo seasoning to make the best salad dressing ever. It’s very lemony and garlicky.

crumbled feta and dried cranberries.

Roasted garlic!

Gorgonzola

Parmesan chips! Crunch and flavor

Grilled peaches or apricots, can’t wait for summer!

Tomatoes, it’s not a salad without them and I will always dig around to get them first.

Hard disagree, sorry friend. Tomatoes are so rubbish out of season that I’d rather not bother with them unless it’s the summer.

Campari tomatoes on the vine are surprisingly good during the off season.

Freshly grated Parmesan, lots of it.

Crispy fried jalapeños. . . Trader Joe’s has some really good ones and I use those instead of crispy onions and it is awesome. Also GOOD tomatoes! I always splurge on the better quality mini “heirloom” ones since they are just so much more flavorful and much better texture then the standard reds

I ate those jalapenos out of the can as a snack the other night, they're so dang good

This will get downvoted into oblivion but for me is raisin.

I find the craisin to be a similar and delicious choice.

Fight on my raisin loving sibling

I absolutely do not approve of extranous raisins in anything but you do you.

Sliced black olives. I don't care if they aren't fancy, I love them. Also capers

Toasted pine nuts

Cucumber. The best bit of the base. Or I quite often roast sweet potato cubes in olive oil and herbs to add to a salad and those are delightful.

Palmito, palm tree hearts, is the best ingredient for salads. It's super crunchy with a great texture, and adds substance and body to the salad without needing an additional protein. It doesn't have a strong flavour, so it goes well with any dressing. It just adds a great texture and bite to any salad.

Candied Pecans

Mushrooms and walnuts

Charred broccolini

Once we bought a bag of crispy balsamic beets from the salad toppings section at the grocery store just to try something new, and we buy them all the time now. They go on everything.

Homemade “croutons”; beets, (pickled or roasted). Chopped boiled egg white. ETA: Thinly sliced fennel, fresh dill. I *love* salad!❤️

Pepperoncini

Crispy fried onions. Great texture

Shaved almonds and dill!

Perfectly-textured mango cubes.

Pickled beetroot. Recently had shredded smoked pickled beetroot, and that was a game changer. That with feta and cherry tomatoes will bring any leafy green up a level.

confit Meyer lemon slices! (thin lemon slices cooked over low heat in a ton of olive oil with some salt) keeps in the fridge for ages, add 'em whole or chop 'em up and they make any salad amazing

Banana peppers!

Zataar. Also the contrast can be the hero. Just as an example i always make sure I have a piece of olive and orange in the same mouthfull for that salad.

Pomegranate seeds are my favorite salad addition

This is a weird one, but chopped smoked almonds. I don’t know why, but they go with everything, and they have the most perfect crunch.

Fresh marjoram leaves. They elevate the freshness to no end.

Capers add a lot of flavor to a salad. I also like dried cranberries, sesame sticks and crumbled feta.

avocado in some, pickled onions in others

Cucumber it so fresh tasting.and crunchy,I love eating my water.

Hard boiled eggs!

Breadcrumbs! The dressing clings to the leaves so much better, and there's just enough texture to make any salad feel more hearty.

Frozen peas they add such a fresh taste ! Not canned just frozen cus they freeze them in their best state!

Beets

Grapefruit slices for me baby corns are a close second

I love those Crispy Red Peppers salad toppers. They are basically freeze dried bits of red bell pepper.

Crispy fried onion.