This light and crisp salad is a great side to many meals. It also tastes great on it’s own.

I find this salad a great dish when I need something to beat the summer heat, but I also plate it any old time along side some golden brown main courses.

INGREDIENTS: (serves 6 to 8 as a side)
1 large red bell pepper
1 large orange bell pepper
1 large orange bell pepper
1 large shallot (or two small ones)
6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese (note the difference)
10 oz cooked & cooled or frozen spinach
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon diced basil (preferably fresh)
juice of one-half lemon (preferably fresh)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Dice bell peppers into small cubes (about half the size of a dime).
2. Dice shallot to cubes about one-half size of the bell pepper cubes.
3. Dice fresh mozzarella into similar size cubes of those of the bell peppers. Set mozzarella cubes in refrigerator immediately - this will go on last.
4. Chop spinach into small pieces. Note if you use frozen spinach you need to thaw it first. Spinach should be moist, but drained (I set it between paper towels and squeeze out the excess water).
5. Mix bell peppers, shallots and spinach in large bowl.
6. Using a food processor or blender, mix olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until creamy.
7. Pour dressing over peppers, shallots and spinach and mix (I use a lid and shake).
8. Just before serving add fresh mozzarella cubes and basil, and mix.

Alternatives: Green bell peppers won’t do this salad justice as they are bitter. This salad is sweet and tangy. As for cheese, feta could be used, but note that since this is a tangy cheese itself, you’d want to cut down on the lemon juice.

Purple onion could be substituted for shallots, but note that these are stronger (shallots are a mellower onion with a hint of garlic taste).

Posted Sunday, February 11th, 2007 at 5:06 pm EST
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