Three Things: Simple Salad Ideas

Salad greens almost permanently live in the fridge at my house, and I like to play around with different ways to make them taste more exciting your average salad bar. Here are my latest favorite ways to dress up those greens, each with three ingredients or less.

1. Creamy Italian Dressing

Italian Dressing (or any vinaigrette) + Plain Yogurt

Yet again yogurt takes the traditional place of mayo to make something creamy and good for you. Just stir about half bottled dressing and half yogurt, and then toss the mixture with greens. I like to add feta and other veggies to the mix.

2. Insta-croutons

Bread + Olive Oil + Greek Seasonings

I don't care for store-bought croutons but have always loved eating them at the few restaurants that make them in-house. So I figured I could make them, too. I just tore up a piece of sandwich bread, sprayed it with olive oil, sprinkled it with my mostest favorite Greek seasonings from Zoe's  and baked it at 425 degrees until the pieces got brown and crunchy. (Photo is from before they were baked.)

3. Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette 

Olive Oil + Balsamic Vinegar + Honey

Oil and balsamic are a great combo on salad, but it's a bit too twangy for my taste. So I followed my [natural] sweet tooth and added honey to the mix. I mix about equal parts of each of the three ingredients with a whisk (which in reality is usually a fork). In the photo, I tossed the dressing on spinach with chopped pear, toasted walnuts and crumbled feta cheese to go with the pork and potatoes my college friends and I made at our most recent, most glorious reunion (a.k.a. food fest).