Wendy's Fresh New Salads

In this era of food awareness - where we're finally waking up and thinking about what we put in our mouths - it's awesome to see fast food and restaurants quickly responding to meet our needs with food that is fresh and real. For my own family, we've cut back on a lot of processed foods and as a result don't eat out as often.

But Wendy's recently revised their entire line of salads, and may have won me back at least once a week. I had the chance to listen in on a webinar with Chef Rick Tramonto as he went through the process of creating each of Wendy's four new salads, emphasizing fresh ingredients with the ability to completely customize your salad to your liking.

Their four new entree salads have something for everyone. There's the Apple Pecan Chicken Salad, with an all-natural pomegranate vinaigrette dressing for those who like a little fruit with your veggies. (Note: I am not a fruit-veggie mixer, so this one wasn't even tempting for me.)

If you're a fan of Cobb salads, you'll love the BLT Cobb salad with applewood smoked bacon, blue cheese crumbles and an avacado ranch dressing. Personally, I think Wendy's has the best bacon around, so if you like bacon, this salad is a winner for you.

For something with a little more spice, try the Baja salad, with freshly made pico de gallo and guacamole, topped with Wendy's famous chili and a red jalapeno dressing. This salad is delicious, and I can see myself eating this even in the winter thanks to the warm chili on top.

And for a little twist on an old classic, the Spicy Chicken Caesar salad is just like the caesar salad you remember, but with a lemon-garlic punch to the dressing and a spicy chicken breast cut up on top. I love this one, but be sure to have plenty to drink!

I appreciate the variety in these salads, all of which fall roughly in the 550-750 calorie range. They're large enough to be filling, or even enough to split with a friend if you want to enjoy some fries, too. The produce is crisp, the colors vibrant - no stale wimpy lettuce here!

If you're looking for a little adventure for your tastebuds the next time you crave a salad, try one of the four new salads from Wendy's and see if it doesn't change the way you think about lettuce.

Full disclosure: I received a gift card from Wendy's to facilitate my review, but received no further compensation. No favorable review was guaranteed nor promised. Wendy's is a Columbus-based franchise, and I love to support my local peeps. We miss you, Dave Thomas.