Recipe: Italian Chopped Salad

Practice makes progress! A chopped salad is a great way to practice your knife skills with the reward of a yummy salad to enjoy when you’re done.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced and pressed into paste
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 2 medium heads romaine lettuce, medium chopped
• ½ head of radicchio, finely chopped
• ½ red onion, finely chopped
• ½ English cucumber, medium chopped
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced
• 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and trained
• 4 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into ¼” cubes
• ½ cup basil leaves, chiffonade

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, garlic, oregano, red pepper and salt and pepper in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake until emulsified and set aside.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss.
3. Pour desired amount of dressing over salad (you may have more dressing than you need) and toss again.

NOTES

Dressing and salad can be prepared and stored separately in the fridge for several days.