A combination of nutty, sweet, grainy and hardy, this salad will fulfill your taste for sweet and salty.  Using a bed of mixed greens, I added 2 tablespoons each of the following:

Blackbean mixture, tabouli, balsamic vinegarette dressing,  and 1 tablespoon each of the following:

Crumbled feta cheese, chopped pecans, dried cherries, and then sliced an egg, took out 1/2 the yoke and served the rest.

I think of my friend Jodi when I make any salad with fruit in it.  This being the cherry on top.  Most of the time I make a salad from what I have available in my fridge, and one of the things I learned in Culinary Art school was matching flavors.  Although I did have the option of putting an already shredded three cheese blend on the salad, I knew it would bring different flavors than what I wanted to the salad.  Same thing with the dressing.  Instead of putting an oil based dressing on the salad, I used a non oil based balsamic vinegar.  The taste and flavors of the this salad explode in your mouth after biting into a nut and piece of the dried chewy cherry at the same time.  The grainy of the beans and the mild flavors of the tabbouleh give it depth.  Something you wouldn’t normally think to put on a salad.

BTW – Jodi doesn’t like fruit on her salads.

This is one of my daughter’s summertime favorites.  Mozzarella, tomato and basil salad, with a splash of balsamic vinaigrette.  I added a sauté of mushrooms, onions, and red peppers to the side (recipe to follow).  Also in the pic are one of my son’s favorites:  small round pita pockets, drizzled with Parmesan cheese, Italian herbs, olive oil and a pinch of dried onions and garlic salt.

One of a kind Farmer’s Market Salad:  I stopped at the farmer’s market on my way home from work and found some great new finds.  For me, farmer’s markets are a hit or miss because they don’t always have the same vendors, so if you are looking for the same items week to week or month to month, it’s not always the best choice.  However, yesterday I found a vendor that also carries their product at our local Whole Foods, so I was even more excited.

 

 

 

On a bed of mixed greens, I placed two sliced kalamata olives, two grape leaves, two tablespoons tabbouleh, and 2 tablespoons feta cheese.  The bread at the top of the plate is a slice of spinach pie, which I found at the farmer’s market, along with the grape leaves and tabbouleh.  I added a splash of balsamic vinegar and a splash of olive oil.  It is delicious.