A Variety of Salad Greens

A combo of garden-fresh salad greens are a healthy and easy way to add variety to this lunch and dinner staple. Sweet greens (large soft leaves) can be combined with bitter greens (small crisp leaves) or store-bought brands can be used.

Here's a guide to the best greens available:

Arugula-These oak-shaped leaves have a spicy, peppery bite. These are bitter greens and are a staple in Italian salads. They're rich in iron, which fights fatigue and boosts immunity. Always rinse these well to remove all traces of grit.

Belgian Endive-The elongated white-and-yellow heads have a bittersweet taste that's like chicory and escarole. It's rich in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. Endive is known for its pale green or red-and-white spears and bittersweet flavor.

Red Oak Leaf-A good source of vitamin A, this colorful lettuce (a relative of green leaf) lends a nutty flavor and delicate texture to salads. Also called red leaf lettuce, it's a mild sweet green, with a slightly stronger flavor than green lettuce.

Mache-The delicate, soft-as-suede leaves taste sweet and almost nutty. And they're high in vitamin A. It's a sweet green that's also called lamb's lettuce, lamb's tongue and field lettuce. It's soft, mild and sweet, with the smallest leaves of any green.

Radicchio-These purple-and-white leaves (or red-and-white, depending on your perspective-and eyesight) have a slight bitterness (some would say bittersweet); you can use the whole leaves as natural bowls.
This bitter green come in two variations: radicchio di Treviso and radicchio di Verona.
Radicchio's an excellent source of vitamins A and C, which boost immunity, promote healing and help slow down the aging process.

Sorrel-The arrow-shaped leaves have a sharp, lemony tang. Also like lemons, sorrel is high in vitamin C.

Frisee-It's a light yellow, frilly relative of chicory. It provides texture and spice to a regular tossed salad. Frisee is a bitter green that doesn't wilt!

Bibb-The rippled, round leaves and light butery flavor make this sweet green popular for salads and sandwiches or as an edible "dish"" for egg salad.

Chicory-This curly, bitter green is known for its assertive flavor. It can also be used as a cooking green like collard or kale.

Romaine is a mild sweet green with long leaves and a sturdy spine. Romaine hearts are the tender central leaves of the head.

Sprouts-Low-calorie and rich in protein, seed sprouts add color and crunch to your salad. Some (such as mung bean sprouts) are loaded with vitamin B-12, which aids in the conversion of food to energy and plays a critical role in DNA production. Also try tasty alfalfa, broccoli, pea shoot and soybean.

Watercress has dark green, clover-shaped leaves and a spicy flavor. It's high in iodine (a mineral important to thyroid function).

Spinach-Delicious eaten cooked or raw, spinach's dark-green leaves are rich in folic acid, which is instrumental in producing key chemicals for the brain and nervous system. The flavor can vary from mild to robust.