Slvrthoughts and Musings

Description:
I prepared this salad for our family's Valentine's Eve dinner and it was a hit! I've always prepared my salad this way but this was the first time my folks got to taste it. Not that I wouldn't share, they just didn't want to taste it before.

My salad version, is healthier, I think, hehe. I don't use mayonnaise, for one. Instead I use Kraft Free Zesty Italian dressing. I intentionally did not pour the dressing immediately into the salad as I think it is better for everyone to put in as much (or as little) dressing as they think their salad needs.

My sister, Tina, actually thought that the salad already had dressing 'cause she tasted it without the dressing and she said it already tasted good. *blush* It's the mix of the ingredients, really. I highly recommend that you try this. It's really good, promise!

Ingredients:

1. lettuce (different varieties, enough to half fill a salad bowl - we used romaine, lollo rosa, and emperor)
2. 1 small cucumber
3. 2 hard boiled eggs
4. ripe mango, 2 cheeks
5. small seedless grapes (washed)
6. 1 fuji apple, washed and peeled
7. 1/2 onion
8. 1/4 c. chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. wash the lettuce and place in a strainer to drip.
2. slice the mango, apple, and eggs into small cubes
3. in case the grapes you got are big, slice them into smaller pieces, maybe half. Enough to be a bite without being a mouthful
4. slice cucumber into thin slices, you can also cube it if you want
5. slice the onion into tiny pieces, as you would when you would saute it (panggisa). The onion adds a special bite to the salad.
6. Take a salad bowl and shred your lettuce in it. I like to fill it to about halfway.
7. Place the rest of the ingredients in one at a time, spreading them more or less evenly over the lettuce. As much as possible put the nuts in last.
8. Toss the salad carefully. You will be surprised at how the salad will double in quantity.
9. Serve with your Zesty Italian dressing on the side.