Kitchen Sink Chopped Salad~

As our heat wave continued, there were many nights where a hot dinner was just plain unappealing. An entrée salad was the perfect option for those oppressively hot evenings…especially one chockfull of tasty veggies. I turned to The Mom 100 Cookbook for inspiration and saw this tasty and healthy composed salad. I was sold.

A layer of sliced Romaine lettuce created a bed for rows of marvelous toppings…black olives, artichokes, shredded cheese. I was tempted to add diced avocados, but ran out of room…you can certainly tweak this to include your favorite veggies. Add beans or chicken for more protein…so many options. A simple vinaigrette drizzled over the salad was the finishing touch. Keep cool, my friends!

Kitchen Sink Chopped Salad…recipe courtesy of The Mom 100 Cookbook

2 hearts of romaine lettuce, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch ribbons

1 red bell pepper (or orange, yellow, or green), stemmed, seeded, and diced

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced or shredded

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke bottoms, cut into 1/4-inch dice, or 1 (6-ounce) jar marinated

Artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

1 cup thinly sliced seedless or English cucumber

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut into halves

1/2 cup chopped or slivered red onion

1/4 cup sliced pitted black olives (any kind)

1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded or grated cheese, such as Parmesan, Cheddar, Swiss or mozzarella

1/4 to 1/3 cup Classic Vinaigrette, to taste, or a salad dressing of your choice

Classic Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup vinegar of your choice (I used aged balsamic)

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Place a layer of romaine on serving platter. Arrange strips of ingredients over letter. Alternatively, combine lettuce, bell pepper, carrots, artichokes, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and olives in a large serving bowl. Toss in the cheese, if using. Dress with Classic Vinaigrette.

To make dressing, put all ingredients in a container with a lid. With the lid on tightly, shake vigorously to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more mustard and/or salt if needed.