Hi everyone. Before I begin, I would like to add to my last post involving a deodorant recipe, by telling you a suggestion a reader made. She suggested adding a drop of lemon essential oil. I had some lemongrass essential oil, I added it, and it made for an even fresher deodorant. Oh, and if you are wondering, I still smell amazing. Do you?…
O.K., well, this post is about thinking out of the salad bowl. On vacation or anywhere, we may not want to buy a million ingredients that we will either have to leave behind or lug back home. For example, I like to add dried fruit and nuts to my salads and grains. Buying separate containers of these items can take up a lot of room and be costly. I found a bag of trail mix in my pantry at home and brought it. Perfect! It has soy nuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds and chopped, dried apricots.
Even though my salad was fully enhanced by the trail mix, I still craved a bit more protein. That is why I was more than delighted when my finicky son handed me the remnant crusts of his grilled cheese sandwich (how do you not like crusts??). Even with the bite marks, it was just the savory treat I needed to feel like my salad was something special.
All to say, you too can make a lot of tasty-ness out of a few creative ingredients. Martha Stewart has NOTHING on you.
Trail Mix and Grilled Cheese Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette:
3 cups organic, washed salad greens
2 TBS trail mix with nuts and dried fruit
crust of a grilled cheese sandwich, with cheese still in it, cut into 1″ pieces
1/2 apple cut into little pieces with skin on if organic
Mustard Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 TBS red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp Dijon Mustard
one tsp agave syrup or maple syrup
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp crushed garlic
Whisk above ingredients until fully combined
Add salad ingredients to a medium sized bowl and toss gently.
Add 1-2 TBS of the dressing, toss and enjoy!
serves one