Italian Chopped Salad

One of our favorite weeknight dinner spots in Southern California was Stonefire Grill. Sometimes (ok quite often actually), we miss California. I particularly liked the Italian Chopped Salad from Stonefire... so I decided to recreate it at home. It worked!!! It looked and tasted just like I remembered it. It's a great weeknight meal because it's light, healthy, and fast to throw together. You'll want to try it - SOON! (Bonus: it's gluten-free)

Italian Chopped Salad
1 head romain lettuce, finely chopped
1/2 cup garbanzo beans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dry salami, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup diced tomatoes

Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette
1/2 cup olive oil
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 shallot, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove
pinch of sugar
salt & pepper to taste

Blend vinaigrette ingredients in a blender or food processor (I used our Magic Bullet - it's small and makes for easy clean up - quite a handy tool to have in your kitchen).

Toss salad ingredients in a large bowl with vinaigrette.

This amount made two medium-sized salads (perfect for Mark and me). You could serve four with this amount as appetizers. Or if you are really hungry, you could eat the whole thing yourself!

Enjoy!