At least once a week we have a what’s-available-dinner-salad. Healthy fast food! This is a main dish made up of all the ingredients that are in the fridge or the garden, plus any staples from the pantry as well. This salad is designed to be healthy, filling, and tasty with enough veggies and protein to make it a complete meal. Like much of the cooking I do, there is no definite recipe…it’s a matter of taking what you have on hand and combining the ingredients in a pleasing and balanced way. For example, here’s what we had for dinner last night:
In the garden, fridge and cupboard I had:
Misc. greens including pak choi, lettuces, mustard and cress
Romaine lettuce
Radicchio
Cucumber
Baby bok choi
Kale leaves
Small red, new potatoes (steamed but not chilled)
Hard boiled eggs
Drunken goat cheese
Small balls fresh mozzarella cheese
Small white beans (canned)
Hard boiled eggs
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Capers, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
Here is what I had available. In order to make this salad delicious you should include a variety of flavors and textures. The cheeses and eggs gave it the “weight” of a dinner meal, and the veggies provided flavor and textures. I love lemon and capers in such salads as they add bright flavors and salt.
The key to such a salad is to cut all the ingredients in similar sized pieces. Combine them into a bowl and toss. I dressed this salad with the juice from a large lemon and olive oil but you could use any dressing of your choice.
Here is the salad before we ate dinner. When served with garlic toast, or other bread and a glass of wine you have a fresh, delicious meal. Optional: toasted pine nuts or leftover chicken or duck pieces would also be great. If you’re a vegan, use tofu marinated in barbeque sauce or a similar rich-flavored soy dish. Be sure that all ingredients are at room temperature for maximum flavors. Enjoy!
