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5.0 from 126 votes

Garden Salad

My old school Garden Salad. The one I can make any day because I always have these vegetables on hand! And sometimes, when I feel like getting really fancy, I even add a sprinkle of parsley. 😳There really are no rules when it comes to a Garden Salad. Any greens, any vegetables. Make this your own!

Prep Time
7 mins
Servings: 4 - 5 people
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Salad:
  • 1 small head iceberg lettuce or other lettuce or leafy greens , chopped into big bite size pieces (5 to 6 big handfuls)
  • 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (~125g/4oz), or 2 tomatoes cut into wedges or chunks
  • 1 cucumber , sliced (medium Lebanese / Persian cucumber, or 1/2 long Telegraph/English cucumber)
  • 1 carrot , peeled and grated using a box grater
  • 1 tsp parsley or chives , very finely chopped (if you're feeling fancy!)
Dressing:
  • 1 tbsp cider vinegar (or any vinegar or lemon juice) (Note 1)
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or other neutral oil)
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (or other non spicy smooth mustard)
  • 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Dressing: Shake Dressing in a jar. Taste and adjust - more oil for creamier/less tang, vinegar for more tang, sugar if you want touch of sweet.
  2. Toss: Place all Salad ingredients in a big bowl. Pour over Dressing. Toss well.
  3. Serve: Transfer to serving bowl and serve immediately!

Notes

  • Vinegars - the ratio of vinegar to oil used in this dressing is standard so you can really use any vinegar at all, including but not limited to:
  • Dressing adjustments to your taste - make it your own! More oil for creamier/less tang, vinegar for more tang, sugar if you want touch of sweet, salt for more seasoning.
  • More dressing addition options:
  • Apple cider vinegar (my most used)
  • White wine vinegar (2nd most used, use a touch more as it's milder)
  • Balsamic
  • Red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar
  • Plain white vinegar (most sharp, so you may need touch more oil)
  • Rice wine vinegar
  • 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
  • Sugar or honey can take the sharp edge off dressings without using more oil. Don't use BOTH, use one!
  • Dried or fresh herbs
  • Lemon zest