Salad Bar Recipe

Prepare greens

Rinse all lettuces and spinach thoroughly under cold water. Spin or pat dry until mostly dry. Chop the romaine into roughly 1-inch pieces and shred the iceberg. Combine romaine, mixed baby greens, iceberg and baby spinach in a very large salad bowl and toss gently to mix.

Prep vegetables

Halve cherry tomatoes, thinly slice cucumber and radishes, dice bell peppers, shred carrots and thinly slice the red onion. Add each prepped vegetable to separate small bowls or add directly to the salad bowl, arranging so guests can pick or so the salad has an even distribution.

Dice the avocado just before serving to avoid browning and gently toss with a squeeze of lemon if prepping a few minutes ahead.

Cook and prepare proteins

If cooking chicken: season breasts with salt and pepper and grill over medium-high heat 6–7 minutes per side (internal temp 165°F / 74°C). Let rest 5 minutes and slice. Prepare quinoa according to package instructions and cool. Hard-boil eggs: place eggs in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer 9 minutes; cool in an ice bath and quarter. Rinse canned chickpeas and drain well. Cook bacon until crisp and crumble.

Arrange sliced chicken, chickpeas, quinoa, quartered eggs and crumbled bacon in separate small piles on top of the salad greens for a classic salad bar look or mix into the salad if serving as a composed salad.

Crumble feta and shred cheddar if not pre-shredded. Toast sunflower seeds and pepitas in a dry skillet over medium heat 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly browned. Add croutons and cheeses to the salad bowl or place in small bowls for serving.

Make the vinaigrette

In a small jar or bowl combine red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk or shake until combined. Slowly add the extra-virgin olive oil in a thin stream while whisking to emulsify. Stir in chopped fresh herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper or honey as needed.

When ready to serve, drizzle desired amount of dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat, or serve dressing on the side. Finish with toasted seeds and croutons on top for crunch and additional sprinkle of cheese if desired.