Chopped Salad

♫ Summertime, and the living is easy….and it just doesn’t get any easier than this Chopped Salad! I made a large salad to take to a 4^th of July party, but you can make a small salad just for yourself in a very few minutes.

I headed to a local store that has a great selection of organic produce and shopped for the best-looking vegetables in a variety of colors. I came home with cauliflower, jicama, grape tomatoes, radishes, a yellow pepper, carrots, corn, and sugar snap peas.  The bulk olive section had pitted Niçoise olives, so I bought some of them as well. Kalamata olives, which are probably more available, would make a good substitution.

At home I already had jarred pickled red peppers (Mama Lil’s, to add a bit of spice) and some spinach. I thought the spinach would hold up better than lettuce for a potluck salad.

The vegetables I chose are merely suggestions. You can use whatever appeals to you. My goal was to make a vegetable salad that would withstand sitting on the table for a few hours without having any ingredients spoil or wilt. If I were serving it right away, I might add chopped lettuce, cucumbers, and/or avocados.

For the dressing, I adapted Mark Bittman’s basic Lemon Vinaigrette from his How to Cook Everything cookbook. I wanted something simple that would spotlight the vegetables without overpowering them. It was a perfect match.

Simply add your favorite protein for a fantastic one-dish summertime meal!

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This photo was one of Foodbuzz’ Top 9 for July 8, 2011! 🙂

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Chopped Salad

(print recipe)

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 Ingredients

An assortment of chopped fresh vegetables (8 – 10 cups for a large salad, less if serving fewer people) Suggested vegetables: Cauliflower, jicama, grape tomatoes, radishes, carrots, sugar snap peas, corn, yellow pepper

Pickled red peppers, to taste

Pitted Niçoise or kalamata olives

Chopped spinach or lettuce

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1. Chop everything into bite-sized pieces and put in a large bowl. I like to thinly slice the cauliflower.

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Carrots, white and yellow corn, sugar snap peas, and radishes

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Added to the bowl: Niçoise olives, yellow pepper, jicama (peeled and chopped), grape tomatoes (quartered), cauliflower (thinly sliced) and Mama Lil’s Peppers

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2. Toss with some Lemon Rosemary Vinaigrette (recipe below).

3. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if needed.

4. Toss in some chopped spinach or lettuce, if desired.

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Lemon Rosemary Vinaigrette

(Adapted from Mark Bittman’s vinaigrette recipe in How to Cook Everything)

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1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon minced rosemary

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (I needed 2 lemons)

1 clove garlic, pressed

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

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1. Mix the zest, salt, rosemary and juice. While whisking constantly, slowly add the oil in a stream until emulsion forms. (Or do as I did, and put everything in a Blender Bottle and shake!)

2. Taste to adjust salt.