This is my favorite multi-seasonal salad. It makes a great meal on it's own in the summer, with a hunk of bread in the fall, accompanied by soup in the winter, and served up with fruit in spring. It's quick and easy to make and has something for everyone in our little family to eat (which, honestly, doesn't happen much with salads). The recipe is flexible, and I usually throw it together with whatever I have on hand, but this is the basic, tried-and-true version.
Chopped Salad:
(note: obviously, since this is a chopped salad, everything is diced an chopped into relatively equal sized pieces. that part is really important)
2 romaine hearts
1/3 lb good salami
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained well
3 green onions
1/2 seedless cucumber
1/2 C shaved parmesan
Italian dressing (homemade, or you can use your favorite store-bought brand to make it really easy)
Toss it all together and crack some fresh pepper on top and you're good to go.
Some swaps I make:
beans: navy, butter beans, or garbanzo
cheese: grated mozzarella
sometimes I toss in bits of leftover fresh herbs like basil or parsley, and I think olives would be tasty in there, too.
