Summer Salad Series: cHopped Italian!

Our summer salad series continues with an Italian-inspired chopped salad. Loaded with veggies & herbs, this dish is fresh, full of flavor, and easy to modify. Adding dried oregano into the sauce made a world of a difference in terms of bringing out some flavor! I used seasoned shredded chicken for a lighter flare, but traditionally a dish like this would call for chopped salami - totally up to you (I mean, why not add both)?

What You’ll Need

FOR THE SALAD

• 1 head romaine/leafy green lettuce, chopped

• 1 head raddichio, chopped

• 2 persian or kerby cucumbers, shredded

• 8oz grape tomatoes, halved

• 1 small bell pepper, chopped

• 10 pepperoncinis, chopped

• 10-2o (couple handfuls) green or black olives, chopped

• 1lb shredded chicken (I seasoned mine with italian seasoning), or 6-8oz chopped salami

• 10 leaves fresh basil, chopped

• A couple sprigs of rosemary, chopped (optional)

• Fresh parmesan cheese, mix in & for topping

FOR THE DRESSING

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 2 tbsp dijon mustard

• Juice from 1/2 large lemon

• Sprinkle of dried oregano

• salt & pep to taste

directions

Chop all salad ingredients - what makes a chopped salad so addicting is the consistency of the size of the veggies! It allows the sauce to coat all the ingredients and allows you to get a taste of everything in each bite. Use an electric hand whisk to mix the sauce in a mason jar or small bowl. Pour over the salad and toss to coat. Let sit in fridge if you’d like to serve cold.

ways to spice it up

• Add more pepperoncinis and/or add 1 tsp calabrian chilis to the sauce if you’d literally like to spice it up

• Add quinoa or orzo for complex carbs, or serve with fresh bread

• For a heartier salad, add beans - I’d recommend white/northern beans or chickpeas

• Play around with herbs - Italian herbs consist mainly of basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme

So fresh & easy! Let me know your thoughts if you try!