Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Salad for potlucks

Whenever we have potlucks at work, I'm invariably signed up to bring salad. This is a basic one that I usually do since I can grab the ingredients at the grocery store near work and throw it together once it's time for lunch. It takes all of five minutes and feeds about ten people.

Salad:
1 head green lettuce
1 head red lettuce
1-2 handfuls pepitas
1-2 handfuls sunflower seeds
1-2 handfuls cashews
1-2 handfuls dried cranberries
1 handful sundried tomatoes (if I feel like it)
2 apples, diced (pears work too)
1/2 to 1 cup feta cheese (nonfat works just as well as full-fat)

Toast nuts in toaster oven for three minutes on medium if available. If not, buy roasted.
Wash lettuce in cold water and pat dry. Tear into bite-size pieces. I like to discard the tough base of some of the leaves so that the whole salad isn't an exercise in chewing.
In a large shallowish bowl, combine all ingredients and toss. Try to distribute the goodies evenly--they tend to sink to the bottom.
Dress and toss again just before serving.

As far as dressing for this salad goes, I've had success with raspberry vinaigrettes, balsamic vinaigrettes, and orange and lemon vinaigrettes. I've also tried an Asian-themed vinaigrette with sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and a touch of sugar--leave out the cheese for this one. My basic vinaigrette ratios are 1 part oil to 1.5 parts vinegar, and everything else to taste (garlic, salt, pepper, spices, herbs).

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