This salad is a take on your typical Italian house. I’d venture to say that the addition of avocado and cucumbers coupled with turning the volume way up on garlic gives this version an edge over the standard fare.

The next time I make this, I think I’ll sub out the green onion for red and will use half as much dressing, but it’s good as-is too.

Vegan Italian House Salad
Recipe courtesy of Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

Ingredients

2 tbs red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp vegan Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
1 (9 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained, leaves or spikes removed
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced (peeled,regular cucumbers work too)
1 large avocado, cut into slices or chunks
3 green onions, minced
1/2 cup garlic croutons, crushed

Note: I mentioned it before, but it’s worth saying again, I would strongly advise making 1/2 the dressing this calls for.

Directions

• In a medium saucepan, prepare the dressing by combining the vinegar, oil, cheese, mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper
• Cut the artichoke hearts into quarters
• In a large bowl, add the lettuce, cucumbers, artichokes and avocado
• Sprinkle with green onion and then toss with dressing
• Plate and sprinkle each serving with crouton crumbs

Yield: Serves 3-4