That really really good salad.

Over the holidays I drew the salad straw for 2 different potluck parties that we went to. This surprisingly excited me for two reasons. One being I wanted to be creative and step outside the basic Caesar and Greek salad options that usually turn up at a potluck. And the second being, I have been trying to get as much salad and veggies into me lately since we are going on vacation soon!

You may have seen this salad appear on my stories just before and just after Christmas, but it is soooo good and simple I wanted to expand on it and have it live permanently on the blog for you and your taste buds.

I knew I was going to make my own dressing for these and I knew I wanted different layers of crunch and texture so I just let myself run wild at the grocery store. What is great about this is that you can add or subtract really what ever you want to make it your own. In the summer I think this would be really good with some pears chopped up in the mix. I would add bacon to this salad also when I make it next but we had vegetarians in the mix and I didn’t want to exclude them.

Here is what you will need:

♥  1/2 cup of slivered almonds

♥ 2 heads of romaine lettuce

♥ 3 stalks of kale

♥ 1/2 cup of halved cherry tomatoes

♥ 1/2 cup quartered cucumber slices

♥ 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese

♥ 1 cup of croutons

For the dressing

♥ 1/4 cup of lemon juice

♥ 3 minced cloves of garlic

♥ /4 cup extra virgin olive oil

♥ salt and pepper

Here is what you will need to do:

♥ In a dry skillet, toast the slivered almonds for a few minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.

♥ Chop the kale and romaine into thin strips. In a bowl, toss together the cherry tomatoes, cheeses, croutons and nuts.

♥ In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and garlic. (I like to do this right in my measuring cup to save a dish) Pour the oil slowly into the mixture, whisking constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve.

Do you had a good salad or dressing recipe to share? I would love to hear about it and test it out! Let me know in the comment section!

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XOXO.

B.