Yummy Italian Salad With Homemade Dressing

Today I am giving you a simple Italian style salad along with my own homemade Italian dressing recipe. This salad can be made vegan by omitting the goat cheese. The salad and the dressing are both gluten free and the dressing is completely vegan. Put them together and you have a side or entree salad that is delish! Feel free to add or omit as you like. Definitely watch the video for lots of inside tips on everything from getting your sundried tomatoes soft and yummy to an all natural cure for allergies! Keep in mind that for the best tasting and healthiest salad possible, organic ingredients are best! Mangia!

For the salad:
One bunch of spinach leaves, well chopped
One head of red leaf lettuce, well chopped
1/2 cup of sundried tomatoes (soak these in hot water, a little olive oil and salt)
2 tbls. fresh goat cheese, chevre style (local, organic preferred)
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 of a large cucumber, thinly sliced
1-2 tbls. of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions: First, get your sundried tomatoes soaking in the above mixture; they need the extra time to soften and will go in at the very end! Then start chopping! In a large bowl, add the chopped lettuce, spinach, red onion, cucumber, parsley and sprinkle in your goat cheese. Remember, keep those sundried tomatoes soaking til the very end! Now it is time to prep your dressing. You can also do the dressing the night before or anytime just to have on hand. Then, the dressing will have more time to marinate in all the flavors!

For the dressing:
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Juice of one fresh squeezed Meyer Lemon
1 tbls. of raw honey (local is best!)
Garlic Salt (to taste)
Big pinch of Italian seasoning
Big pinch of dried basil (fresh is best when in season!)
1-2 tbls. of extra virgin olive oil

Directions: Add all the dressing ingredients into a small mason jar and shake it up vigorously. Add more or less of the ingredients to taste.

Finally, your sundried tomatoes should be ready! You can tell they are ready once they can bend easily. Chop them up, add them to the salad. Add your dressing, toss, and presto!! You now have a yummy Italian salad!

I hope this inspires you to make your own salad and your own dressing. It is far healthier to make your own dressing than to use the bottled and preservative filled dressings that are conventionally used. Have you ever read the ingredients in those things?? Scary and often unrecognizable. I like knowing what’s in my food!

Stay tuned for more recipes that can accompany this salad nicely!

What do you like in an Italian salad? What dressings do you enjoy making?