The Morrison Family

For the Garden Salad:
2 small heads romaine lettuce
2 small heads leaf lettuce
1 head spinach
6 plum-sized tomatoes
1 red onion
1 cup chopped dates

For the Tomato Mint Vinaigrette:
1 ripe tomato, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1 shallot, chopped
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Honey Mustard Vinaigrette:
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. honey, or to taste
1 tsp. whole grain mustard, or to taste
6 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste

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Wash the lettuce and spinach heads very well in several baths of cold water. Chop off the stems and spin the leaves dry. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces and put them in your serving bowl.

Quarter the red onion and then slice them into piexes (no longer than an inch). Sprinkle these on top of the lettuce and spinach in the serving bowl.

Wash the tomatoes and remove the stems and scoop out the white stem area. Cut each tomato into approximately 10 wedges and add to the serving bowl.

Pour the cup of chopped dates on top of the rest of the ingredients in the bowl and serve.

Tomato Mint Vinaigrette
In a food processor, purée the tomato until smooth. Add mint, shallot, vinegar, lime juice, mustard, and garlic. Process for 15 seconds. With the machine running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube, and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate.

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Whisk together all ingredients, excepting the oil, in a small bowl.
Once well mixed, add the oil to the bowl in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.
Taste and adjust the seasonings. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate.

Makes 8 servings.

Source: The Vinaigrette recipes come from “The Joy of Cooking”, the salad came from my imagination.

1 c sour cream
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 c minced dill
Salt and black pepper
3 medium cucumbers (1.5 lbs)
1/2 medium red onion (very thinly sliced)

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Halve each cucumber lengthwise, pel and scoop out the seed cavity with a spoon. Turn the halves upside-down and slice into 1/4-inch slices.

Toss he cucumber and red onion slices with 3 teaspoons salt in a colander and weight them down with a ziploc bag with a quart of water in it. Let sit at room temp for an hour.

When the cukes have drained, whisk the sour cream, vinegar, sugar, dill and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Add the cucumbers and onions; toss to coat.

Serve chilled, adjusting the seasoning if necessary.