Use up parsley as a delicious salad base

I used to think that parsley’s flavor was so intense that it could only be used in small quantities. Recipes always seem to use it sparingly, so I never considered that its strong flavor could be the backbone of a meal. But ever since I took some leftover parsley, sprinkled it with lemon juice and olive oil, and topped with raisins, I've been hooked. Now, whenever I find myself with some extra (usually after making something that only required a tablespoon or so of the leafy herb), I turn to quick, easy and refreshing parsley salad. I love how parsley’s sharp, grassy taste sings alongside the tart sweetness of fruit. In the image above, I paired parsley salad with an egg for a great lunch at work.

Parsley, raisin and carrot salad

Ingredients

Fresh parsley: roughly chopped. Instead of discarding the stems, chop them extremely finely and toss them in.

Fruit of some kind: I usually use yellow raisins, but I’ve also used fresh, diced apple. Cranberries or another type of dried fruit would be delicious as well.

Carrots: Not essential, but if you have them, they’re a nice touch. I chop them into pieces comparable in size to whatever fruit I’m using.

Lemon juice: (fresh is great, of course, but I usually have the bottled kind on hand)

Olive oil

Pepper

Anything else you have that you think might blend well! Honey could be nice.

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and toss. Sample until you get to a flavor combination that you like.