1000 Things to do with a Grocery Store Salad Bar

This begins an on-going, multi-part feature about your grocery store's salad bar. We are fortunate to have an exceptional salad bar at our local store. It has tons of options and is usually pretty fresh. Plus they serve more than bagged iceberg lettuce, which is my biggest pet-peeve. (I don't stress about the cost, because taking into consideration the leftover waste from buying all those individual ingredients, I think we're money ahead. And besides, I'm not realistically going to buy a huge bag of sprouts for a homemade salad.)

So here we go. This is my favorite way to use the salad bar. This one is pretty basic. Look for more inventive ideas in the future.

Easy Weeknight Salad
Salad greens
Meat of your choice: chicken breast, skirt steak, shrimp or fish.
Ciabatta bread or bread of your choice from your store's bakery.
Homemade salad dressing (recipe below)
A nice red wine if you're so inclined.

From the salad bar, using the largest container, fill with your family's favorite ingredients. I stick to the freshest looking things and avoid anything processed or containing mayonnaise. Don't forget to go around to the other side to see what's there. I put grapes, cranberry raisins and strawberries on top, which are found on the backside. Also, now is the time to try things you wouldn't normally buy - garbanzo beans, sprouts, peas, etc. What's also fun, especially for younger kids is to have all green night where you only pick out green things for your salad. Or all red, etc. Since salad can get boring quickly, anything to make it more interesting is appreciated!

Grill or saute the meat or fish to your tastes. (Tofu for the vegetarian, of course.) We usually grill a bunch of whatever meat we're using. After it's cooled, we slice it and freeze the leftovers for another salad.

Salad Dressing
Since I don't like store-bought dressings, homemade is my only option! This is my current favorite for winter. In the summer, omit the mustard and garlic. Mix all the ingredients in a 2 Cup measuring cup.

Lemons, Juice of two
Olive Oil, about twice the amount of lemon juice.
Dijon Mustard, about 1 Tbsp.
Garlic, one clove crushed and minced.
Salt and pepper to taste

In a pretty bowl, layer your salad greens with meat on top. Add dressing to taste and don't for get the bread! Enjoy!