This is Shirley’s EXACT recipe. She made this for us once and it’s a salad I crave at the most unusual moments.
THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENTS:
- Lettuce- dark, crispy (preferably romaine) combined with spinach or another lettuce for texture (I never buy iceberg)
- Fresh lime- lemon doesn’t work as well as a substitute
- Dried Spearmint- I’ve never tried fresh but it’d probably be great.(About 1/2 tsp.)
- Olive oil Red Wine Vinegar-
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS: (using all of these may be overkill!)
- Dijon mustard
- Fresh Parsley- chopped
- Green olives- sliced
- Sesame seeds- toasted
- Cilantro- chopped,(to taste)
- Red Onion- sliced
- Tomato- cherry tomatoes- or larger tomatoes, chopped
- Cucumber- sliced
- Avocado- cut into pieces
- Mushrooms- sliced
- Green pepper- sliced or diced
- Red pepper- sliced or diced
- Bacon Bits
METHOD TO MADNESS:
- 1st- Wash and dry the lettuce. Don’t tear it yet, put it back into the fridge (or do this last)
- 2nd- Cut up chosen veggies (if using avocado, don’t cut it up until you’re ready to dress the salad)
- 3rd- Add lettuce
- 4th- Add the cilantro, the parsley, the green olives and the spearmint. (I usually rub the spearmint in between my palms as I add it to the salad)
- 5th- Squeeze the fresh lime juice and add the vinegar as you toss the salad.
- 6th- If you’re not ready to eat the salad right away, refrigerate again. If you are ready…mix about 1 tsp. of mustard with the oil and blend it into the salad.
- 7th- Add the sesame seeds, bacon bits and the avocado.
- 8th- If any of this doesn’t make sense to you, do it your own way!”