this is a rough outline of the salad i make most anytime i need to make a salad. you can tweak it depending on what’s on hand (and i often do) but it’s a good solid base.

it also doesn’t hurt if you garden is exploding with beautiful lettuce, as ours is.

USUALLY i use this

• lettuce – i like to chop my lettuce, cut a big handful in half lengthwise then chop in 1 inch strips
• carrot, ribboned
• radish, matchsticked
• scallions, sliced thin on a diagonal
• broccoli stalks, waxy bits discarded, then matchsticked
• unsweetened coconut ribbons, toasted
• toasted lightly salted seeds (pepitas + sunflower)
• fresh herbs (whatever leafy herbs you have)
• avocado, diced and added right before serving
• SOMETIMES i use this
• kale – cut the veins out, massage the leaves and chop
• beets, matchsticked or shredded
• zucchini, ribboned or sliced paper thin
• tofu (cut into pieces and panfried)
• peashoots
• homemade croutons
• apple, pear or stonefruit, cut in thin slices or julienned

DRESSING

• 3/4 c. good olive oil
• 1/4 c. white wine vinegar (or whatever)
• 1 tbsp dijon
• 1 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast
• 6 kalamata olives, pitted
• a handful fresh herbs of your liking
• 1 big, or 2 small cloves of garlic, crushed
• lots of black pepper

blend or whisk  everything together (except garlic). if you aren’t blending, then chop the olives as finely as possible. add the garlic after so it remains intact and can sit in the dressing and ooze out it’s garlickiness (just don’t serve the actual clove).

variations

-swap the wine vinegar for balsamic, skip the olives, add a pinch of salt and tsp of maple syrup

-use lemon juice in place of the vinegar, skip olives and add a tbsp tahini or nut butter