Salad Artist (Or, what to eat when there's nothing to eat and you don't want to cook and you're too stubborn/cheap/tired to eat out)

First salad from the salad patch!

My equation for a use-what-you-have salad:

Leaves: I love crispy Romaine best, and baby arugula second, but whatever you like- Bibb, led leaf, spinach, spring mix...

Onion: Red or green or maybe Vidalia (never tried it, though) chopped very fine- a little goes a long way

Fresh fruit: apples, pears, pomegranate seeds, orange segments, fresh berries, tomatoes, avocado... (would not recommend bananas- even I have my limits)- I like thin slivers, B prefers teeny cubes, so whatever looks prettier to you

Dried fruit- raisins (regular or golden), Craisins or dried cherries work best

Toasted nuts: almond, walnuts and hazelnuts are the most versatile, pine nuts if you like them, also roasted sunflower seeds or pepitas add a nice salty crunch

Cheese: shaved Parmesan (I use the vegetable peeler), crumbled feta, goat, bleu, etc..

Meat: leftover grilled chicken is my favorite, grilled or broiled flank steak (rarish) cut into very thin strips, and lately I've been into grilling (OK, having B grill) a bunch of portabella mushrooms and eating them on sandwiches and salads- not technically a meat though... but meat-y

Dress: I always use balsamic vinegar and olive oil poured from their bottles. It's laziness, but I very rarely mix an actual dressing.

You don't need to include every category. And actually, you could always replace the leaves with a whole grain like quinoa or barley or rice... oh the possibilities!

Example: Garden grown mesclun mix, red onion, Craisins, diced apple, roasted sunflower seeds, shaved parmesan, balsamc vinegar+olive oil
Tonight's salad was not the star, and I was up for a little cooking- flounder doused in lemon zest and mashed garlic and butter, covered with lemon slices, sealed up in foil and baked 12-15 minutes at 425. Dinner. Is. Served.