Garden Harvest Salad, and Recipe for Italian Tomato Vinaigrette

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Today's lunch was sooooo yummy, and it was really quick to throw together. Having my Salad Bar made for the week is the secret to my success!

This lunch was made in a Sistema Klip it Salad to Go container, which is one of my favorite containers to use when I'm packing a salad for lunch. In the bottom is a mix of lettuces and spinach tossed with purple carrot slices and radish slices. In the top tier is cold grilled chicken cubes, goat cheese, cucumbers, and some heavenly multi-colored fresh tomatoes. I bought them at Sprout's, but they taste just like I picked them out of my garden!

But my favorite thing about this lunch is the salad dressing. I had a bunch of V-8 vegetable juice in the frige, and I got to thinking how fun it would be to use it as a base for a vinaigrette. I started playing around, and I loved the results! The combo of chicken, fresh tomatoes, and cucumbers mingled with creamy goat cheese and that tangy dressing made one outstandingly delicious salad!

I'm happy to share my recipe with you:

Italian Tomato Vinaigrette

½ cup V-8 vegetable juice

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

¼ tsp. italian seasoning

¼ tsp. salt

⅛ tsp. fresh cracked pepper

2 tsp. sugar ( I used natural evaporated cane sugar)

⅛ tsp. *xanthan gum

Combine all ingredients in a container with a tight fitting lid and shake well. Store in refrigerator. Flavors improve after being stored overnight or longer.

*note on xanthan gum - Xanthan gum is just an emulsifier, meaning that it adds a little thickness and creaminess to the salad dressing. If you are a gluten free baker, you already know about xanthan gum. If you are not, feel free to just leave it out. It's hard to find, and is very expensive! But if you have some on hand, it adds just a little extra oomph to your dressing 🙂

Italian Tomato Vinaigrette

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