Q&A for How to Make a Salad

Any protein with some healthy fat or fiber should do the trick. Chicken is the popular option, but seafood salads are tasty as well.

Seeds are a good option. You could also put toasted chickpeas on top of your salad.

You should use uncooked vegetables for the freshest-tasting salad, and no, you won't get sick. Make sure that you wash the vegetables, however, as unwashed vegetables can make you sick.

You can use any fruits and vegetables to make many kinds of salads. The simplest vegetable salad is to chop up lettuce and mix it with any other vegetable(s), then add some pepper or vinegar, maybe even both. A fun thing is to try different vegetables/fruits and flavorings as often as possible, to discover your own preferred salads. Things you can add to a basic salad include: Cooked legumes/beans, spices, herbs, cooked meat pieces, dressings, hummus, balsamic vinegar, seeds, nuts, dried fruit pieces, leftover cooked pasta/rice, and more.

Rinse the rice, put the rice in a saucepan with twice as much water, add some salt and cook until ready. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn. See further: How to Cook Rice

Using premade salad dressing can add a lot of flavor to both your cold salad dishes and hot entree dishes. Most salad dressing also can be used as a marinade. Creamy salad designs often have a base made from sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk and heavy cream or yogurt while vinaigrette style salad dressings use oil and vinegar.

Sure. Salad dressing just adds more flavor. If you're making salad for other people, you'll want to add dressing, or they will likely find it tasteless and boring. But for yourself, do whatever you want.

You can also use another green, leafy vegetable, such as spinach or kale. You can also cook some pasta, chill it, and use it in your salad instead of lettuce.

You could. Just lettuce (with dressing and maybe croutons) would be the most common version of that. If you're making it for yourself, you should make it with whatever you like. If you're making it for a party or something, it's advisable to put a variety of things in there, as most people may find such a salad boring.

Just cook it as normal and chill it, but wait for the pasta to cool slightly before putting it in the fridge. Just add it to the salad before you serve it.

Yes, you can definitely use a knife to cut the lettuce for a salad. Just make sure to use a clean knife and cutting board, and rinse off the lettuce before you prepare it.