I now have two go-to potluck salads! I love go-tos. While sometimes it's fun to think of new things, find new recipes, pour over magazines, blogs, cookbooks to find something intriguing, sometimes you just want tried and true.
My first go to potluck salad is the fennel, arugula, parmesan salad. It's simple, delicious, and will make lots of people compliment you and your salad - always a plus. It might even win over the most ardent fennel hater (as I thought I was).
Also discovered at (ripped off from?) a potluck is this kale, carrot, walnut, apple salad.
(Side note: I'm sorry to sound like a pretentious restaurant, just listing ingredients without hinting at their prep. But a cutesy title would just make things worse.)
The thing that struck me about this salad is that it's simple while being interesting enough to make you keep eating it. Just when it the flavors could start to coast, you get the crunch of a toasted walnut or the zing from a slice of green onion.
Also? The potluck I mentioned was an indoor barbecue. Depressing. I hope we see some more of that summer weather again soon.
Kale, Carrot, Walnut, Apple Salad
5 large leaves of kale, washed, deveined and torn into pieces
1/2 head small purple cabbage, finely shredded
2 carrots, grated
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted*
1 green apple, thinly sliced and then chopped
For the dressing: 3 parts olive oil, 1 part cider vinegar, 1 part lime juice, palmful of sugar, pinch of salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper
Combine salad ingredients and dressing ingredients separately, then pour dressing over salad. Toss to coat. Voila!
*Do you know how to toast walnuts? Just in case you don't, I just heated them in a pan over medium heat until they browned. Shake them around every now and then, because browning happens fast. You can also use a toaster oven or your big oven, but regardless keep a close eye on them, because burned nuts are not salvageable.