Super Lunch Salad

It's what we had for lunch today - and I forgot to take a pic, dangit! - and it's super easy and super yummy. In fact, it's just plain Super! ;)

You need (pick one from each category):

Salad greens (most any kind. Lettuces, spinach, mesclun, mixed greens, cabbage, whatever you like)
Some kind of protein, cooked if needed (canned tuna, sliced steak, chicken breast, black beans, boiled eggs, again, whatever you like)
Something 'zingy' (sliced onion, pepper rings, pan-seared corn, pepper jack cheese, etc)
Something 'fruity' (dried cranberries, chopped apple, sliced strawberries, fresh raspberries, mandarin oranges, etc)
Something 'crunchy' (crushed ramen noodles, crushed tortilla chips, peanuts, walnuts, canned fried onion rings, sunflower seeds, etc)
Salad dressing (I think that honey mustard works with just about everything, but Ranch, creamy italian, green goddess, balsamic vinaigrette, lemon-poppyseed and many more work too!)

Layer (bottom up):
Greens
Zingy
Fruity
Protein
Dressing
Crunchy

We had spinach with red onion, sliced strawberries, pan-seared chicken breast, honey mustard, and peanuts for lunch today and it was awesome! Bill's fave combo is mixed greens, sauteed green peppers, dried cranberries, sliced steak, green goddess, and walnuts. You can go vegi-mexican with beans, fried corn, tomatoes, cheese, tortilla chips and ranch on shredded lettuce. Go asian with mixed cabbages, chicken, raw broccoli, mandarin orange slices, crushed ramen, a few slivered almonds and toasted sesame dressing. The possibilities are endless so gather up and try your fave ingredients in different combinations!

Basic Broccoli Salad

Broccoli salad with peanuts and cranberries

I LOVE broccoli. It's my favorite vegetable and perhaps my favorite food (closely followed by cheese) and, since I do love the luscious green flower so much, I make this salad fairly often. Like every time broccoli goes on sale. I'll buy two bunches, one for cooking and one for broccoli salad. Yummy, yummy stuff.

You'll need:

About a third to half a package of bacon (but you can use more, or less. Whatever's handy or needs used up)
Mayonnaise or salad dressing (low fat or regular) - I'll explain the amount below
2 T sugar
2 T vinegar* (I use cider vinegar usually since that's what I always have around)
1/2 of a red onion, chopped
1 bunch of broccoli (or 2 small ones if they're rubber-banded together) chopped, including tender part of stems
Nuts* (peanuts, cashews, etc) a handful or so
Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, blueberries, whatever you like) a handful or so

Cut your bacon into strips, about 1/4 in wide, ish, and fry them up until nice and brown and 'chewy-crisp'. You can also cook the slices and crumble if you want, but pre-slicing works better for me. Drain on paper towels.

Get a tablespoon from your silverware drawer (not a measuring tablespoon) and put two biggish, heaping spoonfuls of mayo/salad dressing into a med/large bowl. Add sugar and vinegar. Whisk to combine, should be smooth and a bit runny. Add onion, broccoli, nuts, fruit, and bacon. Mix, lifting up from the bottom and flipping (sort of like folding a batter) until sauce is well distributed. Serve immediately or chill an hour or two for additional tanginess!

*You can give this an 'asian flair' with rice wine vinegar, chow-mein noodles, and a dash or two of soy sauce. :) Make it more 'country' by adding sliced hard boiled egg. There are lots of options!