My two go-to salads are 1-2-3-ready and neutral enough to have on a daily basis, but don’t let their simplicity fool you–they pack a flavor punch!

The first salad I made yesterday, and it lets the green leaves do the talking. It’s abundant and a wonderful complement to a denser meal.

Lemon and Scallion Green Leaf Salad

Ingredients:

1 head of green leaf lettuce
2 scallions
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 diced tomato
Salt & pepper

Directions:

Begin by peeling off the outside layer two scallions and dicing them evenly (note: those are my father’s hands).

Wash the head of green leaf lettuce and chop it relatively thinly width-wise.

Next add the lemon…

and the olive oil…

And lastly, toss in the tomato for some color contrast.

A feast for the eyes, and a wonderful way to begin the meal 🙂

Next salad.

This salad is a Turkish salad, which is a lot like a Greek salad only the vegetables are cut smaller. It is also doesn’t have any greens, except for the parsley. My family eats this salad every night.

Turkish Salad (Coban Salatasi)

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion (I used white in this recipe because it’s all I had on hand)
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 hot green pepper, diced
1 bunch finely chopped parsley
Salt & pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Red pepper flakes

Directions:

Dice the onions, tomatoes, and cucumber.

Take 1/2 green pepper and slice it length-wise in half, removing the seeds. Then dice it and add to the salad mix.

Add salt & pepper. Make sure to add the salt to the onions, scrunching them with your hands as to release its juices. The salt helps this happen and makes the onions softer and easier to eat.

Then comes the parsley–finally chopped!

Toss dem all up!

Add the fixin’s…

(olive oil, red wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes)

The cheese comes next (totally optional). I am using a sheep feta of Bulgarian variety. It’s a yum-fest.

I also added a few black olives I had on hand for even more flava!

And that’s all! Two great salads for everyday munchin’. Both are raw (save for the cheese), a palette cleanser, and flood your body with nutrients and enzymes. Enjoy!

xoxo