Turn Your Fridge Into A Salad Bar - Part 1

I just finished writing a Salad Bar article for The Seeker and it gave me pause to scroll through the numerous food pics I have stored on my phone. (Yes, I'm one of those people.)

We eat a lot of salad at home - but always more when the vegetables are in season. For a long time I worked in restaurants where a salad came with your meal. When I say salad, I mean a pile of iceberg lettuce with a cucumber slice, a tomato wedge and some shredded carrot with your choice of bottled dressing. We don't eat those kinds of salad at our house and I certainly don't do them at Dish Cafe and Food Shop. (I DO make a "Mixed Greens" salad that includes mesclun mix, cucumbers, carrots and grape tomatoes - because it is sort of a timeless classic that people can build on.)

When I want to make this salad a bit more fantastic, I switch out the Balsamic Vinaigrette  for one that's more Greek Dressing-esque (recipe follows) and add a scoop of Lentil Couscous Salad (which is already tossed with said Greek dressing).

Now, because we're salad people, we have this stuff in the fridge already (and/or I steal it from the shop. Shhhh - don't tell). BUT, this is a really simple salad to make and it can be varied in a zillion different ways.

Lentil Couscous Salad
 1 cup couscous
1 cup boiling water
1/2 can lentils, rinsed
1/2 cucumber, quartered and sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
about 1/4 feta, crumbled
handful parsley, chopped
Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
salt and pepper to taste

I'm going to just post the basic vinaigrette recipe I use here. (Fun fact: I wrote a whole article a couple of weeks ago about making vinaigrette that I somehow didn't send in. I found it in my drafts folder today. On the plus side, there'll be a new blog post soon!) It is likely the same as one you'll find in about a thousand cookbooks and blogs. The difference you may notice is I use olive oil instead of "salad oil" or "vegetable oil" which don't really have any delicious flavour and aren't as healthy.

Basic Vinaigrette

1/3 cup vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon

1 teaspoon honey

1 clove garlic, minced

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Add vinegar, mustard, honey and garlic in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste. 

Now... this is a GUIDELINE. Taste as you go! Vary this in a zillion ways. (Part 2 will have suggestions.) For the Greek-style dressing I use in the Lentil Couscous salad, I use half red wine vinegar and half lemon juice. I add a bit more garlic and dried oregano.

This is the most basic of starting points for your own personal salad bar. You can switch it up with a Mixed Bean Salad, grilled chicken, etc. Stay tuned to Part 2 for more vinaigrette recipes and other great additions.