Leftover Salad

Last Sunday, I cooked meals for the week.  I followed my company guidelines and pulled off a pretty impressive roster of dishes... smoked paprika mac and cheese, quinoa tofu sunflower salad, tabbouleh, spicy mushrooms I learned from La Palapa... the list goes on.  So when I was cleaning out my fridge this week, I came across the remnants of ingredients.  A few cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, mint, a bit of red onion, a few radishes, a few chunks of carrots, the leaves of some celery and a red pepper.

A little spent from a little too much sunshine while kayaking on Georgica Pond, I couldn't muster the energy to incorporate the ingredients into several dishes - using the onion, celery and carrots would have made a great base for a sauce for example.  Instead, I decided to make a beloved dish from my youth - something only a salad-eating, health-oriented mother could instill in me so permanently that I find myself craving it often - Leftover Salad.   Leftover salad is exactly what it sounds like.  Chop up all the left-over vegetables and herbs that you have in the fridge and toss them together.  It's new every time since you'll always have a few different ingredients on hand.

Always colorful and healthy, this is a perfect way to use those odds and ends.  I like to make different salad dressings (a simple balsamic, a creamier variety and possibly a cheese-laden one) to keep the salad exciting.  Pack your veggie-chop in a few different plastic containers and toss each one with a different dressing when you are ready to eat it. Bring one container to lunch one day and offer another serving for dinner as an accompaniment to grilled lamb or shrimp. Healthy and economical. Ooooo buzz words!