The $11 Salad

Another staple at our house is the $11 salad. This is a nod to the fact that at a restaurant a similar dinner would cost $11, but there's no reason for it.

Basically this means a big pile of some greens arranged on a big plate with several other interesting elements - generally a source of protein, a source of fat, and 1-2 other fruits or vegetables.

Here are some examples -

Sunday: we had grilled steak, sliced into bite sized pieces so that you don't need a knife at table, caramelized onions and red peppers, raw onions and red peppers, carrots, and leftover steamed broccoli with an Asian vinegarette (I actually used a bottled salad dressing for this one!).

Another example, one of our favorites, is buffalo chicken salad. Same big pile of greens, cooked sliced or shredded chicken tossed with buffalo sauce, sliced red onions, chunks of blue cheese and blue cheese dressing. Add sliced carrots, cooked or raw broccoli, or celery to get another veg included.

Fuji apples, pecans, cooked chicken, feta cheese and balsamic vinegar dressing

Tomorrow we will have: goat cheese, pecans, pickled beets and clementines with a citrus-y dressing.

The possibilities are literally endless, and it is a great way to use up leftover bits of vegetables.

I used to dislike the combination of fruit and vegetable together, but I have learned to love it thanks to strawberries and blue cheese. mmmmm. Sweet apples and blue cheese or pears and blue cheese are also great.