Supper Salad or, the Kitchen Sink

It was a 'what's for supper night?' That is, we were all getting hungry - those of us who were home and pickings were slim. We'd cooked a nice amount for the weekend but it had gotten eaten - much of it, that is, by the Sunday lunch eaters (the nerve of them) and Akiva. for dinner.

What to do? Upon examination of the refrigerator, things weren't as grim as they seemed. We composed a lovely, filling salad for dinner. It took some time but Gabe and I chopped together and considered the ingredients as we went.

It was a really good meal and it's always good to remember that salad is an excellent fall back. Even if you buy ready seasoned tofu to add, or some sort of prepared pickled vegetable or add a jar of roasted peppers, it will marry well, with some dressing on top pulling it all together. Many of us eat dinner much to late and salad will go down much better digestively, than a heavier meal, especially if you're sitting down to eat after 8pm - as we almost always do. If you want to gussy things up, serve your salad with some good, whole-grain bread and a wedge of cheese on the side or even shaved on top of the salad plate.

Supper Salad

1 head of lettuce - we used a Romaine style

1 bunch of arugula - we had a nice, leafy bunch and it was peppery and good.

Avocado - always beefs it up nicely and turns nice and creamy when it's gets smushed up with the other components.

Hard boiled eggs. This is key as the eggs, when sliced and chopped and added, fall apart a bit, especially once the dressing goes on, and really enriches the greeny taste of the salad, as well as adds some protein to the meal.

Diced, cooked tofu. We had some from the weekend. No reason not to add it.

Cukes - diced.

Carrots - we had some leftover Levantine carrot salad (from Molly Katzen's Still Life with Menu). This was a nice touch as it bulked things up a bit and the carrots were dressed and added a tangy taste. Not critical though as this is a 'whatever you've got' sort of dish.

Fruit - this was really nice by the way. We chopped in 2 persimmons and 2 mangoes and it was really tasty with everything else.

Toasted nuts. Usually, we have some toasted sunflower seeds for garnishing but we were out
last night and went nut less but if you have something of that ilk...raw or roasted, it adds both protein and flavor, not to mention a pleasing chew.

Dressing

Olive oil - 1/4 to 1/3 a cup.

Lemon juice and orange juice - 1/2 cup of mixed citrus.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Honey mustard - 2-3 tbsp.

Whisk together and adjust. This made a lightly sweet dressing that went well with the fruit as well as the vegetables.