Nothing better than a salad with lots of fresh vegetables and a tangy vinaigrette dressing…nothing worse than a salad with huge chunks of lettuce that you either have to cut or over-fill your mouth. Nothing better than a salad with the perfect amount of dressing on each bite…nothing worse than a salad with a big clump of dressing or no dressing at all. So…this is my favorite iceberg lettuce salad.
1/2 Head of Iceberg Lettuce, Chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 Carrot, sliced
1 Celery Stalk, Sliced
4 Inches of English Cucumber, quartered and then sliced
5 Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
1/4 Yellow, Orange, or Green Pepper, diced
1/4 Cup of Red Onion or Vidalia Onion, diced
2 Teaspoons of Coarse Ground inglehoffer or Grey Poupon Mustard
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon of freshly ground Black Pepper
1/4 Cup of Chopped Cilantro
Prepare all vegetables. In a large salad bowl whisk together mustard, vinegar, oil, cilantro,salt and pepper. Add vegetables and use your clean hands to toss thoroughly. Taste. If you like it a little saltier use Paula Dean’s “House Seasoning” which is mostly salt with a little black pepper and garlic powder added.
Serve this salad with crusty bread, a nice glass of wine, and you can imagine yourself in a New York City sidewalk cafe, watching all that passes by.