I love salads! I haven’t always loved salads, though.  Growing up, I really disliked salads. Those salads were usually made with iceberg lettuce, pale store bought tomatoes that had been ripened in transit and the whole thing was covered in some kind of heavy dressing. Yuck!

Thankfully, as an adult, I have been introduced to a more diverse variety of salad ingredients. Although I enjoy iceberg lettuce now, I never limit my salads to just one type of lettuce. Organic vine ripened tomatoes are readily available at most markets and taste heavenly.

Although, I have numerous recipe books for salads on my shelves but I rarely refer to them.

Organic vegetables make great additions to a salad. The list of possibilities,  is endless but a few options are bell peppers, vine ripened tomatoes, celery, carrots, beets, turnips and radishes.

I start with lettuce, (usually a spring mix) and add additional greens which may include kale, spinach, and any other variety of greens I have on hand.

Normally, I add a fruit. I love to toss in strawberries, blueberries, grapes, oranges, apples or whatever I may have on hand. I mix and match the combinations of fruit dependent upon what is in the fridge.

For protein, I may toss in nuts, including pecans, walnuts or almonds. Alternately, I will add chickpeas, black beans, green peas, shrimp, tuna steak, shark, etc.

I usually end with either feta or blue cheese crumbles for added flavor. With such a variety of flavors, dressing is not needed. If I do add dressing, I choose a light oil and vinegar mix with a fruit essence added such as mango or raspberry.

Yummy!