This salad looks like a Christmas chopped salad because of all the bright colors that pop from the red cabbage, green onions, and blue cheese. The roasted tomatoes and croutons are the perfect salty accent to the garlicky herbaceous flavors from the dressing. Because the ingredients are simple yet so delicious, this is the perfect prelude to a carb loaded or protein packed meal. This is another recipe that is flexible with ingredients you prefer or have around your house. If you don’t like blue cheese, you can substitute it for goat cheese or feta. And if you’re reading this during the year and are just looking for a great healthy salad to prep for the week, I highly recommend you add ditalini pasta for a little extra filling! Shop Mendocino Spices to elevate your salad game.
3 cups romaine, chopped
2 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
2 cups red cabbage, chopped
½ cup green onions, finely chopped
1 cup blue cheese
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 oz country-style bread, torn into 1” irregular pieces
2 tbsp EVOO, divided
½ tsp Mendocino Spices Ground Thyme, divided
4 garlic cloves, minced
Mendocino Spices All-Purpose Seasoning, to taste
Dressing:
½ cup EVOO
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp Mendocino Spices Ground Oregano
Mendocino Spices All-Purpose Seasoning, to taste
– Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil.
– In a large bowl, toss cherry tomatoes in 1 tbsp EVOO, 2 minced garlic cloves, ¼ tsp Mendocino Spices Ground Thyme, and Mendocino Spices All-Purpose Seasoning, to taste. Pour tomatoes out onto baking sheet cut side up.
– In the same bowl, toss country-style bread in 1 tbsp EVOO, 2 minced garlic cloves, ¼ tsp Mendocino Spices Ground Thyme, and Mendocino Spices All-Purpose Seasoning, to taste. Pour onto other half of the baking sheet. Bake croutons for 10 minutes and set aside. Bake cherry tomatoes for 15 more minutes.
– Mix dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and season to taste with Mendocino Spices All-Purpose Seasoning.
– In a large bowl, toss desired amount of dressing with romaine, iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, green onions, and blue cheese.
– Serve on a large salad plate and top with roasted cherry tomatoes and homemade croutons.