Presenting my old-school Garden Salad! Yep, the one I can make any day because I always have these vegetables on hand. Sometimes, I even get real fancy and add a sprinkle of parsley. 😳
There really are no rules when it comes to a Garden Salad. Any greens and any vegetables will do, all tied together with a classic and simple salad dressing. Make this your own!
My Garden Salad
Ordinarily I write an introduction about the recipe I’m sharing. But I find myself stuck to come up with something witty or some back story about Garden Salad.
I wish I could say this salad is made with crisp organic vegetables fresh from my garden. I want to be able to tell you that this was the only salad my hardworking mother knew how to make when I was growing up and thus has a special place carved in my heart.
I want to at least be able tell you that this version is the definitive, the classic, the original, the real-deal garden salad.
But I have nothing. No authority on this matter, and no sentimental backstory. This is just my basic everyday salad that I make “all the time”, for no other reason than it’s made with the most pedestrian of veggies that always seem to find their way into my shopping basket, week after week!
No doubt you make a similar salad, as does the majority of households in the country. Garden Salad: the great leveller! 😂
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My everyday salad dressing -
What goes in my Garden Salad
So, that said and done, here are the typical things that I put in my Garden Salad.
Well, I won’t lie. Iceberg lettuce doesn’t always make my shopping trolley these days because it just seems so, well, eighties! 😂 It is quite regular when in season though because it’s crunchy, sweet and frankly pretty damned delicious even if it’s about as fashionable as a giant, hair sprayed perm. If not iceberg lettuce, I’ll always have some form of leafy greens in my fridge.
Garden Salad Dressing
The dressing I use is my basic salad dressing: 1 part vinegar to 3 parts olive oil, thickened with Dijon Mustard so it emulsifies and clings to the salad better, simply seasoned with salt and pepper.
There’s all sorts of extra flavouring options available to you if you want to upgrade your Garden Salad, including garlic, lemon zest, dried or fresh herbs. And I’ve listed some suggestions in the recipe notes.
But at its core, this is the basic salad dressing that I use “all the time”.
And that, my friends, is all I have to say about my Garden Salad.
Gee, I wish all recipes I shared could be this short and to the point! 😂 – Nagi x
PS. No video for the 3 simple side salads I’m sharing today! (This Garden Salad, a Blood Orange Salad and Panzanella – Italian bread salad). But if you really want a Garden Salad recipe video, shout out below!
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Garden Salad
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Ingredients
Salad:
- 1small head iceberg lettuce or other lettuce or leafy greens, chopped into big bite size pieces (5 to 6 big handfuls)
- 1cupcherry or grape tomatoes, halved(~125g/4oz), or 2 tomatoes cut into wedges or chunks
- 1cucumber, sliced (medium Lebanese / Persian cucumber, or 1/2 long Telegraph/English cucumber)
- 1carrot, peeled and grated using a box grater
- 1tspparsley or chives, very finely chopped (if you’re feeling fancy!)
Dressing:
- 1tbspcider vinegar(or any vinegar or lemon juice) (Note 1)
- 3tbspextra virgin olive oil(or other neutral oil)
- 1/2tspDijon Mustard(or other non spicy smooth mustard)
- 1/2tspcooking/kosher salt(or 1/4 tsp table salt)
- 1/2tspblack pepper
Instructions
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Dressing: Shake Dressing in a jar. Taste and adjust – more oil for creamier/less tang, vinegar for more tang, sugar if you want touch of sweet.
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Toss: Place all Salad ingredients in a big bowl. Pour over Dressing. Toss well.
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Serve: Transfer to serving bowl and serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
- Apple cider vinegar (my most used)
- White wine vinegar (2nd most used, use a touch more as it’s milder)
- Balsamic
- Red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar
- Plain white vinegar (most sharp, so you may need touch more oil)
- Rice wine vinegar
2. Dressing adjustments to your taste – make it your own! More oil for creamier/less tang, vinegar for more tang, sugar if you want touch of sweet, salt for more seasoning.3. More dressing addition options:
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- Sugar or honey can take the sharp edge off dressings without using more oil. Don’t use BOTH, use one!
- Dried or fresh herbs
- Lemon zest
Life of Dozer
His big head always pops over with interest whenever he hears the rustle of a paper bag in the front seat…
