This salad combines the best of Greece and Italy for a delicious Mediterranean hybrid. Here's a time-saving hint: Chop everything except the avocado early in the day; store the ingredients separately in the fridge, then toss the salad right before serving. You can beef it up by adding cubes of cooked chicken or turkey or chilled grilled shrimp.

2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
½ small red bell pepper, diced
½ medium-size avocado, preferably Hass, diced
½ hothouse (seedless English) cucumber, peeled and diced
¼ medium-size red onion, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
½ cup cubed sharp provolone cheese or other sharp Italian cheese
1/3 cup drained canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves, or ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh mint or ¼ teaspoon dried mint (optional)
¼ cup sliced pitted kalamata olives (optional)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
1 small clove garlic (optional) minced
Salt and black pepper

  1. Place the romaine, bell pepper, avocado, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, cheese, chickpeas, parsley, oregano and mint and olives, if using, in a large salad bowl and stir to mix.
  2. Place the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, if using, in a small bowl and whisk to mix. Season the dressing with salt and black pepper to taste. Toss the salad with enough dressing to coat evenly. Taste for seasoning, adding more lemon juice, salt and/or black pepper if desired. Divide the salad between 2 smaller salad bowls and serve.

Serves 2

Nutrition Info:
1 portion provides:

Calcium: 1 serving
Vitamin C: 1 ½ servings
Green leafy and yellow vegetables and fruits: 1 ½ servings
Other fruits and vegetables: 1 serving
Iron from the chickpeas
Fat: ½ serving if made with 1 tablespoon oil; 1 serving if made with 2