Kitchen Sink Salad

I have an obsession with salads.  I find it very therapeutic to chop vegetables and toss them all into a bowl.  I'm also a big fan of prepping a meal once, and then eating that same meal for lunch the next day (and perhaps - if you're lucky, lunch or dinner the day after that).  This salad gets made just about every week in our house, and I tweak little things to mix it up.  In the summer, I'll add fresh corn cut off the cob.  Last week, I made garlic croutons with some day old bread that was hogging room in our fridge.  It's great with chicken or shrimp, and a mix of herbs would also top it off very nicely.

And I haven't even started talking about the dressings.  I made the creamy balsamic that goes along with this recipe, and it was good.  Next week I plan on making it with a garlic ranch dressing.  But I've also had it with Annie's Green Goddess dressing, and it was equally as fabulous.

For the Creamy Balsamic Dressing:
(makes 1 2/3 cups of dressing)
4 cloves garlic, grated
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup extra light olive oil

For the Salad:
2-3 heads of Romaine lettuce, finely chopped
3/4 pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 - 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 avocado, pitted peeled and diced
1 cucumber, peeled seeded and diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 can of artichoke hearts, coarse chopped
4-6 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Directions:

For the Creamy Balsamic Dressing:
Whisk together garlic, mayo, lemon juice, dijon mustard, sugar, Nature's Seasoning, and salt until well combined. Add the balsamic vinegar and whisk well. Slowly add in the olive oil (while whisking).

For the Salad:
Add all ingredients to a large bowl (more or less of each ingredient depending on personal preferences). Toss with desired amount of dressing and serve.

Adapted from My Life as a Mrs.