On Picnic Salads

AKA "Bag" Salads

Welcome to the Friday post for paid subscribers, the final recipe in our “life without a fully functioning kitchen” series. On Tuesday, all subscribers will receive an essay about one of my favorite childhood book series. As always, learn more about my everyday work at my website.

I’m feeling under the weather this week, so I’ll cut to the chase: if I had to choose one salad to eat for the rest of my life, that salad would be kale massaged with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. There are some nights that I add roasted chickpeas or avocados or hunks of marinated tofu, but reader, hear me roar: simply dressed kale is my jam.

I was determined that we maintain our nightly salad routine in the midst of our kitchen reno, but equally as determined not to be washing salad bowls in our bathroom sink on the nightly. Enter: the picnic “bag” salad.

I forget where I saw this idea the first time, but it changed my life (too dramatic? Never!). It’s been a go-to since the first time we packed one for a beach picnic. Do I love the use of plastic bags? No. Do I let that stop me? Also no.