Megan’s Simple Salad

After eating lots of salads with Ranch or Caesar dressing all through her school years, my daughter finally discovered a taste for a balsamic vinaigrette. This I make simply using extra-virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar…these two ingredients are so much healthier than all the store bought alternatives, and simply delicious if you ask us! The salad consists of her favorite veggies, feel free to add or eliminate any ingredients according to your own tastes. For example, mushroom and tomatoes would be great in this salad as well! The addition of chickpeas would also make it heartier and pack in some protein for the vegetarian palate.

• 1 head romaine lettuce, washed, dried and torn into bite size pieces
• 1 c. pre-shredded carrot
• 1 english cucumber, peeled, sliced and halved
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 c. crumbled goat or feta cheese (optional)
• 2 T. extra-virigin olive oil
• 1 1/2 T. aged balsamic vinegar

Place all ingredients in a large salad bowl. In a small tupperware, place the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Cover tightly with lid and shake vigorously to emulsify. Pour dressing on salad and toss. If more dressing is desired, use a 4:3 ratio of oilve oil to balsamic vinegar.