I try to serve a salad at every meal. Our go-to salad is prepared with hearts of romaine and a variety of whatever fresh vegetables we have on hand. I love tomatoes and often add tomatoes in a variety of different shapes, sizes and colors. In my geographic area, Trader Joe’s and Costco sell a medley of heirloom tomatoes in various size packages. They are my favorite salad ingredient.
I usually try to eliminate or reduce the oil in salad dressings. I find that the spices and acid components of dressings are essential for flavor and most of the time, the oil is unnecessary or can be greatly reduced.
The dressing for this salad is best made by sprinkling the spices and drizzling the liquid ingredients directly on the vegetables right before serving. That way, the salad remains light, fresh and not weighed down by the dressing. Any additional toppings (see variations) should be sprinkled on after the dressing and then tossed right before serving.
Yields 6-8 servings.
INGREDIENTS
Hearts of romaine lettuce, soaked, rinsed and cut/torn into bite size (see notes below)
Any combination of the the following vegetables:
peppers, any color, cut into small strips
snow peas, whole or slivered
cucumbers, scrubbed and cut into slices
large tomatoes, cut into wedges
small heirloom, cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
onion, cut into thin rings
scallions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
DRESSING
Kosher salt, sprinkle generously
Coarse black pepper, just a pinch to taste
Balsamic vinegar, lightly drizzled
Olive or canola oil, lightly drizzled (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Right before serving, sprinkle salt and pepper on top of vegetables. Lightly drizzle with balsamic vinegar and oil. Toss all salad ingredients together. Enjoy!
NOTES
Kosher laws disallow the eating of any whole insects and therefore most greens require a process of soaking, rinsing and in some cases, pureeing. Kashrut authorities differ somewhat on the proper checking of leafy vegetables. This blog was not designed to be your kosher authority, so please consult your local rabbinic authority regarding using greens such as romaine lettuce.
VARIATIONS
For a lighter flavor, substitute cider vinegar, lemon juice or lime juice for balsamic vinegar
Add any of the following additional toppings and sprinkle on after the dressing and toss right before serving
hearts of palm, well-drained and cut into small slices
any combination of room-temperature roasted vegetables
almonds, slivered, salted or candied
pecans, walnuts or pine nuts, chopped
terra chips
toasted sesame seeds
craisins
roasted sunflower seeds
ramen noodles (without flavor packet)
Dressing may also be made in advance and refrigerated.
Enjoy!
simple to wow 