Chopped salad for your Memorial Day BBQ

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! If your thinking of what side dishes to make for your BBQ or bring to a BBQ you are going to- try this chopped      salad.

I swear I have never been much of a salad person. Ordering them out is one thing- they are always so much better than at home. My mom makes a great salad too...maybe I just like them better when I'm not making them!  That is until I started trying out different ingredients, mixing lettuces and experimenting with dressings.

I finally found my salad mojo and have to share it with you because its getting rave reviews from the home front and I cant stop eating it! Its so light and refreshing and perfect  for a summer BBQ.

I'm a Trader Joe's girl and find everything for my salads there. You can get everything with the exception of the dressing elsewhere. I buy the wild arugula and butter lettuce and add in tomato, goat cheese (which you can substitute if you dislike it), red seedless grapes, and cucumber. If I eat just the salad as a dinner, I add chicken to it. You can add or omit ingredients you like/dislike. I roll up the lettuce tightly and chop away. That's really all there is to it! The other add ins take a little longer. I have to try a chopper. The salad dressing from Trader Joe's is their Cilantro dressing. Honestly, anything would taste great with that on it! I have no idea why chopping up a salad makes it so much better- but I am eating salad more than I ever have, so who cares! The goat cheese, tomato and cucumber just go so well together and add even more flavor to the peppery arugula mixed with the sweet butter lettuce. If your not a salad person- try this. You don't have to chop it- I just prefer it that way.

The baby beets in the picture above are also from Trader Joe's. They are pre-steamed and peeled and ready to eat cold or hot. I just slice them up cold. They are soooo good as a side dish or chopped up in the salad.

I hope you try it & like it!

Have a great weekend!