Steakhouse Chopped Salad

A good chopped salad is always a firm favorite and this classic steakhouse version is perfect alongside all your barbecued proteins this summer. If blue cheese isn’t your thing, feta cheese is fantastic here too…

Recipe:

• 4 cups romaine lettuce, thinly sliced

• 4 cups iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced

• 4 1/2 cups baby spinach, chopped

• 1 cup radicchio, sliced very thin

• 1/4 medium red onion, sliced very thin and then halved

• 1/3 cup sliced green olives

• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained, and using just the chunky ends, cut ends into 1/4″ chunks, saving the layered portion of the hearts for another recipe or salad

• 1 –14 oz.can hearts of palm, drained and sliced

• 6 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced

• 4 hard-boiled eggs, cut into 1/4” chunks

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• salt & freshly-cracked black pepper to taste

• Topping: 1- 11/2 cups crispy fried onions, homemade or store-bought

• Optional : Thick-cut bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled

Lemon Basil Dressing:

• 1 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)

• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese (or feta cheese)

• 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice

• 1/2 cup freshly chopped basil]

• 1 tsp honey

• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

• season with salt and pepper to taste