Italian Chopped Salad

For a light and delicious lunch time treat try this amazing Chopped Italian Salad from http://www.blogger.com/www.myrecipes.com. For a complete printout of the recipe, please click on the link above. The salad incorporates wonderful Italian flavors such as sliced pepperoni, romaine lettuce, diced red onion, pimientos, sliced green olives and canned diced artichoke hearts. The only substitutions we made were to replace pimientos with jarred roasted red peppers and added some red butter lettuce to the mix since we happened to have some on hand.

The dressing is a simple mixture of red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and fresh ground black pepper. If you like your vinegrettes a little more sweet and a little less vinegary, you can add a pinch or two of sugar to taste. Whisk to incorporate thoroughly and then toss all salad ingredients together. Grate a little bit of fresh Parmesan cheese on top for the finishing touch and you have yourself a delectable dining experience. This meal transports easily as well in a lunch box. Simply store the vinaigrette in a separate container and toss with the salad right before serving.