We need to talk about boring AF salads (and start making better ones)

You can probably already imagine what I mean when I say "boring salad." Lettuce, cucumber, tomato. The obligatory bagged salad mix, thrown onto the side of a pub schnitty (often with NO DRESSING, and yes I did mean to put that in all caps). No one actually wants to eat boring salads. They're one of the most wasted foods, yet we desperately need to eat more veg. Australia is one of the three biggest meat eating countries in the world, and 94% of us aren't getting enough veggies.We need a salad revolution, and actually the end of summer is perfect, because all that lettuce, tomato and cucumber is starting to go out of season anyway.It's time to expand our salad horizons for the sake of all our tastebuds - and that whole obesity epidemic thing, costing Australia billions every year.

Let's make salads actually win friends

Here are a few from our office (and legendary YFMer, Angie) - and what we've discovered along the way to make this whole salad-eating thing more awesome!This beet'n'blue cheese masterpiece by Angie is perfect for sweet roast veg (carrots, pumpkin) or even roast pears or apples coming into season. Chuck in whatever nuts or seeds you have around for crunch, plus herbs or greens. Et voila. Boring salad averted!This pretty purple extravaganza features leftover roast veg + thinly sliced purple cabbage + last few herbs (we used basil) + cherry toms + feta + croutons from some bread we forgot about...! We don't have an oven in the office so we just chucked the bread in the toaster and chopped it up!What do you do when you run out of vinegar or dressing for bitter veg like sprouts, parsley or radishes? Use the sweet tartness of fruit to balance things back out. We used grated apple (also fab in coleslaw!), but plums, pears or sliced oranges would also be deeeelicious. And if you have HEAPS of fruit, don't forget that can form the basis of an amazing salad too, like the classic watermelon, feta and mint combo. Just three ingredients, but absolute summer bliss in a bowl.Who said you can't do salad in winter? This cheesy goodness from Angie gives snooze-worthy coleslaw a makeover with shaved parmesan, and a hint of mint to bring it back from the edge of being too heavy. Warning: this crispy umami refreshing goodness may make your mayo jealous.If you think salads are only for the freshest produce, think again! Quick-roast the veg that's starting to go a little soft - and amp up the softness! We sandwich pressed our zucchini and the beautiful baby pumpkins in our veggie box, and layered all that soft sweetness with crunchy corn, and a lemony sardine dressing full of crisp, thinly sliced fennel tops and parsley. Plus the toasted up end of a loaf of rye sourdough. No food waste here.Check out more inspo on Instagram #yfmdoessalad!Want to make sure you get a dose of sustainably sourced veg every week? Get a weekly veggie & fruit box from Ooooby Sydney (along with some sustainable staples, and ethical meat from Feather and Bone)! Use code OOOOBYFM and every box purchased will go to support our work.Image credits: Unsplash (top), Zo Zhou