It’s been hot around here. Like mid-august muggy hot. The kind of hot where your brain feels all sluggish and you don’t want to do anything but jump in ice water. I’m not sure I’m ready for summer quite yet, but I am ready to eat my favorite summer salad.
This is a recipe I’ve been wanting to share for ages. I ordered it for our anniversary a few years ago at a posh restaurant in the bay area. I immediately tried to figure out how to replicate it at home and found that it was delightfully simple. So simple that it’s become a regular around here, and even though it seems like a spring/summer salad with all that green goodness, we eat it all year long. You see, it’s pretty tricky to find a Jeff friendly salad, and this one passes the test.
The thing I like best about it is that it’s easy to buy the ingredients in bulk and keep them all on hand. I can whip it up in no time. It’s perfect to serve with Pizza or grilled meat or, well, just about anything. And it’s even sturdy enough to stand alone if you add the quinoa.
So, here you go. Something I’ve wanted to share for a while. Enjoy.
For the Salad:
- Romaine hearts – chopped very small
- Slivered toasted almonds – I get the kind at Trader Joes that are already toasted
- Petite Peas – I just throw frozen ones in there, makes the salad so cold and crispy
- Crumbled Feta
- cooked quinoa– if you have it on hand, I usually skip this unless I’m serving it as the main event.
For the Dressing: (this makes enough dressing for one big salad, I usually make extra since it keeps pretty well in the fridge)
- 3 heaping Tbs prepared pesto (I love the big Costco jar of Pesto)
- 2 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar (or white balsamic, though if I use this I add a little sugar)
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- maybe 1/2 tsp sugar to taste – depending on how bitter your romaine is…and what kind of vinegar you use. If I’m using rice wine vinegar I can usually skip the extra sugar
- salt to taste
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