This is my favorite (and pretty predictable) potluck bringalong. It’s also good to have a bowl of these in the fridge for fast, healthy snacks and meals. For those of us who live alone, it’s easier than making a tossed salad from scratch for one, and I’m forever tossing out lettuce and spinach unless I eat salad every day till it’s used up.
broccoli and cauliflower florets (cut ‘em up yourself or get those convenient bagged ones)
sliced carrots, or halved baby carrots
1 red or sweet onion, sliced thinly
red or green bell pepper, cut into strips
yellow squash or zucchini, sliced
cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
cucumbers, peeled and sliced
mushrooms, button or cremini, halved or sliced
olives, any kind you like, pitted and halved
1 bottle fat-free or lowfat Italian salad dressing
vinegar, your favorite (except balsamic, the color is too much)
your favorite dried or fresh herbs
Basically, the prep is the time-consuming part if you start with whole stalks of veggies. I like to make sure everything’s basically bite size. If you don’t like the crunch of the raw veggies, you can blanch the broccoli, cauli and carrots for a minute in boiling water and then shock them in an ice-water bath. The broc stays greener, but I prefer the crunchy raw ones. You can substitute whatever you like in here.
Once you have your big bowlful of veggies, add the dressing, and I think it generally needs a bit more vinegar to bring out the flavors. Sometimes if I use fatfree dressing I add a dash of olive oil just for gloss and flavor. I add basil, chives, parsley, salt and pepper, and whatever dried spices I feel like trying. And then put in a covered bowl in the fridge, at least several hours if not overnight. Usually if I’m serving at a party, I drain all the excess liquid off first. All the water will come out of the veggies anyway. At that point, adding a dash of olive oil, and tossing with some additional salt and pepper, is usually nice. It’s colorful, healthy, and keeps well for a few days in the fridge. I prefer at room temp, so I dish up some and let it warm up on the counter. Also makes a nice veggie sandwich, in a pita pocket, toasted with a little pepper jack cheese till the cheese melts.
The colors are great together, esp with red pepper, the purple of the onion, yellow squash, orange carrots, and so forth. I seem to always make a huge batch, though, especially once you add a bit of everything.
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