Kids and Salad

Kids and salad are thought to be like oil and vinegar: They don't mix too well without a little coaxing. But it doesn't have to be that way. Just as a dab of mustard can turn oil and vinegar into a smooth vinaigrette, the right ingredients -- and an open-minded approach -- can turn even the most salad suspicious kids into ardent greens activists.

First order of business? Make salad days a family affair -- the ideas here will get you started. Involvement is the bridge to good salad relations. Recruit all hands to wash lettuce, peel carrots, and slice radishes or tomatoes (as appropriate for kids' ages).

Ask your kids what turns them on -- lots of color, halved grapes, raisins, and cheese attract the younger crowd. And also ask what turns them off, like a heavy hand with onions, peppers, and too-sharp dressings. (Our Creamy Orange Dressing is smooth and mellow.) Then, don't be surprised when the salad comes to the table decked in kid-pleasing style and really bowls 'em over.

Creamy Orange Dressing Go ahead. Pick any combination of greens and vegetables you like. Heap the whole shebang into a big bowl and get tossing. Don't forget to drizzle this yummy dressing.

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