Chopped Salad with an Orange & Oregano Vinaigrette
Looking to freshen up your new year with a healthy salad? This salad is one you will never get bored with. Crunchy lettuce, crisp red onion, wholesome olives, and savory smokey bacon, all tossed together with a refreshing orange and oregano vinaigrette makes this a perfect lunch. I love serving it with slices of hearty sourdough bread.
Yield: 6 people
Materials
Chopped Salad
- 8 C packed iceberg lettuce julienned
- 1 C packed fresh spinach cut into julienne strips
- 1-2 pints cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/3 C chopped red onion
- 1/2 C chopped green olives
- 6 ounces fresh mushrooms washed and chopped (I prefer mine lightly sauteed and cooled)
- 4 eggs hard-boiled, sliced thinly, and salted & peppered
- 1 14-oz. can chilled hearts of palm, rinsed, drained, and sliced
- 1/2 lb applewood-smoked bacon cooked crisp & crumbled
- 1 C crumbled blue cheese
- 1/2 C croutons small
- 1 pouch crispy fried onions
Orange & Oregano Vinaigrette (Yields approximately 2 ½ Cups)
- ½ C Champagne Vinegar
- ½ C Grapeseed Oil
- ½ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Garlic Clove microplane
- 2 Tbsp. Shallot minced
- 2 Tbsp. Grainy Mustard
- 3 Tbsp. Honey
- ¼ C Orange Juice freshly squeezed
- Pinch of Kosher Salt
- Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste
Instructions
Salad Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the first 11 ingredients together with dressing of your choice. At this point, I add the salad mixture to a round mold and pack semi-tight. Pull the mold off gently, add the crispy fried onions as garnish and serve immediately.
Vinaigrette Instructions
- Using a blender or Vitamix, add all ingredients except for the olive oil, mix thoroughly.
- While blending on low, slowly add the olive oil until fully incorporated.
- Use immediately or keep refrigerated for later use. Keeps will for 7-10 days.