Salads



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 Really?  Salads?  Apparently so!  A few people have asked for salad advice.  We had salads every evening and at every holiday as I was growing up so they feel like just part of the routine for us.  My Armenian grandmother raised us on a Mediterranean palate before it was cool!
The beauty of salad is that you don't really need a recipe.  You can't mess it up.  If you like each ingredient individually, you'll like your salad.  My favorite meals are a casserole type entree that covers the complex carb and the protein portion with just a salad as the side dish.  So, if you're really interested (really?)  below is the basic Smith dinner salad recipe

Ingredients

• Lettuce-ice berg only in an emergency.  Go to the farmer's market and find something beautiful, I love Boston Bib and fresh Romain.  Mixed greens are awesome. And check this out, I've even added dandelion greens from my yard!
• Onion-green onion or red onion,  white or yellow in a pinch.
• Tomato-Here's the trick, if you buy cherry or grape tomatoes you still need to at least slice them in half. 
• Cucumber-I like the peel left on but my family doesn't, so I peel them, cut in half and then slice thin.
• Feta cheese

Thems the basics.  But you can always do an add-on to change it up, especially if you eat salad daily like we do.  So in no particular order...

• Beets
• Fresh Parmesan cheese
• Chickpeas aka garbanzo beans
• Croutons (whole grain if you're clean-eating)
• Bacon (real bacon bits, not them plastic things! Cook extra when you're making breakfast and crumble)
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Basil leaves
• Chives
• Bell peppers
• Dill
• Boiled egg

Dressing-to paraphrase Winston Churchill...Nevah nevah nevah bottled salad dressing!

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Vinegar-balsamic, apple cider, red wine  OR
• Squeeze 2-3 large lemons, juice them babies, zest 1 of them and add a few shakes of dry oregano
• Coarse sea salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Dry parsley & dill if there's no fresh already in the salad
• Granulated garlic (don't ask me for measurements!)

Method

• Clean them veggies
• Fine chop that lettuce
• Slice them cukes and maters
• Fine chop yer dang onions
• Add whatsoever add-ons you got lyin' 'round
• Dressing:  I frankly just pour & sprinkle right on the salad and mix in.  If you're fancy, you can put the ingredients into a mason jar and shake it up before pouring on.
• No, we don't offer the option of individual dressings.  What do you think this is?  A restaurant?

If you're looking for something a bit different, try my Grandma Trent's Armenian Bean Salad

Ingredients

• White Northern beans (large jar)
• Fresh parsley or dill
• Finely chopped green onion or white onion
• Olive oil
• White vinegar

Method

• Lightly drain beans, add parsley or dill and onions and mix well.  Lightly drizzle olive oil and about a quarter cup of vinegar

*This goes great with ham by the way!  Also fantastic for summer time with anything off the grill. 

I think this is more than enough salad information.  Stay tuned, I might just share my potato salad recipe!