Whenever I ask my daughter what she’d like for dinner she almost always says “what about a Blondie Salad”. A Blondie salad makes for a great dinner this time of year because it’s both hearty and light, decadent and healthy.

The name is a one-off from the Dagwood sandwich, named after the famous massive sandwich constructor in the cartoon strip Blondie {Dagwood is Blondie’s husband}. But, what if you want all of those complex layers of flavor, texture and colors without that glutenous bread, as I believe Blondie may prefer?

Well, you just layer it all on a platter to create a monumental salad.

The possibilities for this creation are infinite. There are 2 main things I think of when I want to build a hearty~satisfying salad. The first is to include a variety of textures and the second is to use ingredients with flavors that will tantalize all of the tastebuds {the 5 flavors our tongue detects are sweet, salty, bitter, sour and Unami.}

As with most salads, it starts with the greens, I usually use a baby arugula to get that nice peppery bite into the mix. If I use a baby lettuce mix I like to add basil and some parsley leaves to the mix to provide a more complex flavor experience. I drizzle the greens with a little Splendid Vinaigrette.

To the greens I like to add a mélange of vegetables. Fresh corn off the cob is a signature ingredient my daughter and I enjoy, it adds a subtle sweetness to the mix.

In this version I also added some chiffonade of basil, tomatoes, cucumbers, blanched green beans and carrots.

These items can be tossed in the a bowl with a generous pour of Splendid Vinaigrette to bring out the vegetables full flavor before adding them to the platter.

To add a nice, salty earthy component, I topped the vegetables with ribbons of procuitto ham.

It’s the major protein component that really makes this salad a meal. To this version I sliced up a rare steak left over from the barbecue the night before, but you could add any protein, poached chicken is one of my favorites. If you wanted to go vegetarian try salmon or sautéed chickpeas.

Finally, for an element of creaminess I like to finish the salad with some cheese. On this day I did a combination of fresh grated parmesan and torn fresh mozzarella cheeses {crumbled feta is also a favorite}.

And there you have it, a meal of a salad, ready to dive in?

For more layering inspiration, here’s a post that about a Dagwood Sandwich we enjoyed awhile back…

Confessions of a Galley Wench, the Dagwood Sandwich…