Something hit me today. I love love
love salad but I dislike very much going to the grocery store and spending $20
to buy fruits and vegetables so that I can cut off a quarter of it to make my
salad for lunch. Sure if I were home more I could utilize the fruits and
veggies for dinners and what-not but that is not my reality. I work nights, in a
restaurant, that feeds me.
Today I got
a late start to my day. I wondered what I should eat for lunch. I was kind of
craving these little smoked salmon nuggets that Whole Foods makes. Since there
is a Whole Foods on my way home from the gym, I made the stop. I decided I
wanted salad. A huge bowl of salad to go with my little salmon nuggets. I spent
almost 10 minutes just trying to decide what package of lettuce to get. I
ventured over to get my salmon. Then I thought - well shoot, what am I going to
top my salad with?
I looked at
the vegetables and they all looked amazing. heirloom cherry tomatoes, tight and bright fennel, colorful radishes. Of course its all sold by weight and I can't very
well cut off the fennel fronds or strip away the radish greens - and then a new
idea hit me. The salad bar.
Sure I am
buying a package of greens. I plan on using a special vinegar I have at home
for the dressing. But why not save the prep time and worry about waste when I
can visit the salad bar and get exactly the topping I need. I grabbed a
container and put in mushrooms, onion, corn, peas, radish and bell pepper.
There were also carrots, olives, beans, chickpeas, nuts, hot peppers, and a few
other veggies. I was pretty happy with my stash of veg. Knowing the secret to
profit in a salad bar is the weight I was nervous as I watched the check out
gal ring in my lunch cheat. $3.51. Not bad. There will be no waste, its all
fresh, and that is less than I would have paid for a single red bell pepper.
I'm going to call this one a win.
How to
dress a Salad:
Place
greens in a large bowl. Drizzle on about 6-8 shakes of a good quality Extra
Virgin Olive Oil, Sprinkle in salt and pepper. Now drizzle about 9-10 shakes of
a special Vinegar (I am using Apero brand Passion Fruit Vinegar). Toss the
salad lightly. Taste for correct seasoning. Add on your salad bar veg and get a
big ole fork!!!
