Don't Forget to Eat your Salad!

Food for Life – Green Salad
Fresh, crisp, green salads, you’ve got to love them. Something about the taste of green and fresh has always appealed to me as far back as I can remember…even in my childhood at the age of 7. I have been enjoying salads in simple and exotic forms ever since. A day does not go by that I don’t partake of the gift of a fresh green salad. Here, I offer a simple salad recipe delightfully healthy with a subtle Mediterranean taste.

Wash, spin/dry and chop into 1-1/2 inch strips one head of the freshest, greenest lettuce or spinach you can find and place in the bottom of big bowl. (I highly recommend using a salad spinner but if you don’t have one, drain/dry lettuce on paper towels. The secret to a good salad is that it not be wet or soggy). Add to the bowl.
1 sliced medium to large tomato
8 fresh, firm crimini mushrooms, sliced
½ red or orange pepper, chopped
2 ounces sliced or crumbled feta cheese
½ cup sliced fresh peeled cucumber
10 large (pitted) black olives sliced in half
Now, put the bowl in the refrigerator. While you:

Make your own dressing. In a small glass jar with tight fitting lid, add:
1 small/medium clove garlic, pressed
4 tblspns EVOO
2 tblspns lime juice (freshly squeezed) (or lemon juice)
Fresh cracked pepper
Dash of salt
Shake well, add atop salad and toss and serve. Serves 3-4.

MY FAVORITE FEATURE OF ‘THE SALAD’-- YOU CAN PUT JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN IT. I opt for seasonal, fresh, firm, eye pleasing colors and the finest EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil I have in my cupboard.)