Chopped Salad

I make my lunch a lot.  As in...everyday.  Even when I had a full time desk job I always brought lunch to work for three reasons: 1. it's generally healthier 2. like anything else, once you get into the habit of preparing lunch the night before, it becomes second nature 3. it's generally a huge cost savings.  Back then, I didn't have big DIY dreams in need of funding - I did, however, have my first Chanel to buy.  Priorities, people...

I made a lot of variations on salads/wraps/soups/stews/yogurt concoctions.  But, I really love big, tasty salads.  And because I like to experiment in the kitchen, I have tried my hand at chopped salads.  

Do you know the salads I am referring to?  You tell the salad man (very technical name) what you want and he throws everything into a big bowl then chops it for you and somehow what you thought would be the largest salad of all time is reduced to a normal sized plastic topped bowl...yeah, those chopped salads.  

I decided what would be in today's chopped garbage salad - spinach, chickpeas, orange peppers, pumpkin seeds and unsweetened dried cherries.  Proportions below.

Ingredients:
4C raw baby spinach 
1/2C canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2C orange peppers, sliced
1/4C dried cherries, unsweetened
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, roasted and unsalted
1tsp olive oil
2tsp balsamic vinegar
sprinkle sea salt

This is where I started:

Directions:
1. Begin by building your salad on a cutting board instead of in a bowl
2. Start with your base (any green you like - spinach, lettuce, kale, arugula, spring mix), season your greens (very important step!) and pile on your toppings as you go
3. Make sure your toppings are somewhat compact so that you don't have legumes rolling around, for example (no one likes a rolly legume...)
4. With a good chef's or santoku knife start to rock your knife up and down to begin chopping the greens, as you go you will also chop the vegetables/nuts/beans/whatever it is that you added - just be sure to keep moving the goodies back into the center of the board so that you ensure you are getting an even chop 
5. Continue until you've reached your desired consistency 
6. Top the chopped salad with your dressing of choice and gently toss to combine or you can empty everything into your serving bowl or plate and dress the greens there
7. Serve and enjoy

Here is my salad half way through the santoku rock chop method (again, very technical terms here):

And here is my final version, served in a bowl ready to eat:

Nutrition information per serving:

399 calories, 60 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 16 g protein, 12 g fiber

So with that behind us, here's to saving money by chopping your own salad and buying Chanel bags.  Just kidding, sort of...

What are you favorite toppings in a chopped salad?  I'd love to hear from you if you make a version of this salad.  

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf