Keep the salad course

In this story: Spinach and Red Onion Salad Mango Chicken RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Bev Bennett
Los Angeles Times Syndicate

(Los Angeles Times Syndicate) -- According to trend-watcher Harry Balzer, we Americans are giving up on side dishes. We'd like to spend 20 minutes, tops, preparing dinner, says Balzer, who studies consumers' eating habits for the NPD Group, a marketing information company in Port Washington, New York.

I wouldn't question Balzer's data, but I would urge you to keep the salad course. You can make a great salad in five minutes or less and that's time well spent. The salad below goes well with Mango Chicken that is pepped up with jalapeno chile.

Thanks to the availability of packaged salad greens, a lot of the tedious steps in salad-making have been eliminated. Many greens are prewashed. The label will indicate that. The packages contain baby leaves you don't have to tear into bite-size pieces. And food companies mix assortments of greens so you don't have to shop for a variety of salad textures or flavors.

The obvious pay-off is nutrition. A green salad provides vitamin A, folic acid and dietary fiber that you might not otherwise get in your dinner. You'll also get a dish with interesting and satisfying flavors and textures. What's more, you'll have an excuse to linger over dinner with your partner, which is more valuable than a 20-minute preparation deadline.