I genuinely love salads and the versatility they have especially in the summer when the last thing I want to do is turn on the stove or oven. They are also really easy to prepare during the work week, and if you don’t have time to sit down for lunch, are easy to eat your desk.

Such an easy salad and one of the ways I utilize marinated onions.

Weekday Italian Salad

Ingredients:

1 head romaine (approx 2 cups chopped)

1 handful cherry tomatoes of any variety sliced in half

4 kalamata olive sliced in half

2 slices provolone cut into bite size pieces

3-4 slices Genoa salami cut into bite size pieces

1 banana pepper chopped

Dressing:

1/4 c marinated onions with oil

2 T red wine vinegar (or 1T red wine vinegar and 1 T banana pepper juice)

1 small clove garlic, grated

1 t oregano (1 T if you don’t use marinated onions)

salt and pepper

Instructions:

In a jar add all of the dressing ingredients, close the lid, and shake to mix. In a separate container with a lid, chop the lettuce and add the rest of the ingredients. Toss to mix. Store salad and dressing separately until you are ready to eat. Combine, toss, and eat!

Notes:

When I made this salad the other week I was rushing to throw something together. You will see I have raw red onion in the pictures. While I almost always have marinated onions on my counter, I didn’t this time so I made the dressing separate, added olive oil and used sliced red onions instead. Just a reminder that things should always be flexible in the kitchen. Otherwise you will get frustrated and food starts to go bad waiting for you to use it.

If you are traveling to work use a mason jar. Stack the salad so its not mushy by the time lunch rolls around.

top

• romaine lettuce
• salami/cheese
• sliced tomatoes
• kalamata olives
• chopped banana peppers
• marinated onions
• dressing

bottom

Why does it matter how you stack the salad?

Simply, salt extracts water. Moisture makes veggies go soft. The items on the bottom can handle being in the dressing and don’t break down as quickly. They typically need a little in the dressing to absorb some of the flavor anyhow. Things on the top are raw and kept away from the salt in the dressing, cheese, and salami so they will stay crisp even by lunch time.

Alternatives and Additions to try:

This salad is a bares bones that’s easy to make in a rush. Essentially it’s the base for an antipasto platter. So what you would typically find on one of those will work in the salad. What’s great is that many of the marinated additions can help to create a dressing. Keep that in mind as you add or switch things around.

• Green or red leaf: I really love this lettuce for the salad. But I only choose this if I am making the salad close to the time I will eat it. Doesn’t travel as well.
• Adding cooked beans: Chick peas, navy beans, or cannelini beans are all tasty options. I would add these to the dressing so they marinate prior to serving.
• Do you have a pickled veggie you like better than banana peppers? Have Giardiniera lying around? What about muffuletta? Any of these will work to add to the dressing.
• Marinated artichokes in olive oil.
• Stuffed Calabrian peppers (Cherry peppers)
• Croutons
• Roasted garlic
• Romano
• Pepperoni