The Unusual Way To Add Crunch And Spice To Your Next Salad

A good salad is all about variety. Yet, while boasting a range of flavors is important, incorporating unique textures is equally essential. Toss in juicy berries. Sprinkle in crunchy roasted nuts. Mix in creamy bits of feta. Whatever's taking up space in your fridge is more than suitable to make its way into your salad. That said, should you want to really take a bowl of greens to new heights, there's one unlikely snack food ingredient that you need to start using.

Although you might have yet to consider what they can do for greens, the reality is that chips, crackers, and puffs are made for salads. Of the endless options available for experimenting, we recommend reaching for a bag of something seasoned and dare we say, spiced. To totally zest up a big bowl of leafy greens, look no further than Flamin' Hot Cheetos the next time that you chop up some Romaine. Far from the usual lineup of add-ins, the spicy crimson snack brings another dimension of satisfying crunch to salads teeming with greens, beans, or vegetables. 

Despite the fact that they can be used as the star of your salad, we prefer adding Flamin' Hot Cheetos in a more subtle way. For this reason, it's best to think of the snack as a garnish similar to croutons. Simply give a handful of Cheetos a rough chop, layering them over top of a salad just before serving. Alternatively, you can even crush them up finely to create a fiery and cheesy powder that can be whisked into a bland salad dressing. 

When it comes to which ingredients fare best with Flamin' Hot Cheetos, essentially any leafy lettuce salad has the potential to be a match for the spicy snack. Given their level of spice, it can be wise to offset their heat with cooler and more refreshing ingredients such as jicama, juicy cucumbers, and fresh cilantro. Salads composed of sweeter ingredients such as sliced mango, pineapple chunks, or citrus wedges can also create a pleasant balance alongside this zesty snack. Even though you might be skeptical at first, we promise that Flamin' Hot Cheetos will soon be your go-to.