Chop Chop

Given that I am given to bursting into tears at any given moment, which is a given when one's dog is dying and one is in chronic pain and one is given to referring to oneself in some sort of stilted verbiage that one CANNOT STOP no matter how many threats one gives oneself, I believe it is time to talk about...

Chopped Salad.

Yes, my friends.

Chopped. Salad.

Dudes, why did no one clue me in? Have you all known about this all this time and just not told me? Why? Am I not with the in-crowd?

My husband has been telling me about this salad that he orders at the deli by his office called a chopped salad. He thought I would love it. I thought, "Chopped salad. Sounds kind of, well... disgusting, frankly." I was picturing iceberg lettuce and mealy tomatoes, all chopped into handy little squares. Maybe throw some square jello cubes on top.

Ick.

But on Saturday, he brought home this... chopper thingy.
and he brought home a bunch of ingredients and he made me a salad.

And, whoa, it was AMAZING.

New Yorkers really know their (our) food.

So, here's what you do if you want to recreate the chopped salad in YOUR part of the country --just in case the news about it hasn't made it to where you are.

First you take some lettuce. (This is a mixture of spinach and spring mix.)


Then you start adding the good stuff.

Feta: (Or some other sort of cheese. Or not--if you don't like cheese, there are no Chopped Salad Police.)

Then add some peppers if you like. I've used a mixture of roasted red bell pepper and these hot cherry peppers, to which I have become so addicted that several times a day I have to have a little forkful of them. (And then drink a gallon of water and run around the house with my tongue hanging out.)

The veggies:
Tomatoes. (We're picking the first really big one from our garden tonight. I'd show you a picture but Jane has forbidden me to go near it lest it fall off the vine before she gets a chance to pick it.)

Carrots:
Cucumbers FROM THE GARDEN (!!!)
Bell peppers, which would be from my garden but mine aren't ripe yet.

Also, some apple. Use a green apple if you have one but if not, use a crispy red one. Or just throw in some dried cranberries.

You can also add anything else that strikes your fancy--beans or sunflower seeds or chickpeas...

The add a splash or two of balsamic vinaigrette (go easy, you can always add more.)


Now you're ready to begin the chopping.




And there you have it: Chopped Salad.


I know what you're thinking. I really do. You're thinking, "That salad looks PRE-CHEWED." But move past how it looks, my friends, because it is DELICIOUS. It's so good that I honestly thought it might be the secret to my whole weight loss dilemma --I'll just eat chopped salad all day long and the pounds will DROP RIGHT OFF.

Unfortunately, I, um, well...

Okay, I kind of accidentally discovered that the chopped salad? Makes a really good dip for THESE:

Oh, well. It was a nice thought anyway.