Lettuce-Free Green Salad

I was once asked to make a salad for a party. I took the opportunity to experiment a bit. Since green salads are typically full of delicate lettuce that is low in flavor, and they need a mighty bottle of dressing on the side to make it palatable, I decided to make a green salad that had no lettuce at all. Then, to make a play on words, all the vegetables I chose are green. This has been a favorite since. Try it sometime for a family party.

Lettuce-Free Green Salad

1 cucumber
3 ribs of celery
5 green onions
1 large green bell pepper
3 avocados
8 oz cream cheese (1 block)
1/4 cup vinegar--any kind EXCEPT distilled white
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried dill (or 1 tbsp fresh)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Wash and prepare the vegetables: Peel and slice the cucumber into half moons, slice the celery thinly, chop the green onion, and julienne the bell pepper. Scoop the avocados out and dice. Cut the cream cheese into small chunks. Put all the vegetables and cheese in a bowl. Pour over all the rest of the ingredients and gently toss to combine. Try not to mash the cream cheese too much.

Notes: Salads are fun to experiment with. Try adding more or less of your favorite items. My husband who loves avocado would have me put 4 or 5 in; I'm a big fan of the cream cheese and you'll often see 2 blocks of it in my salads. If you're not a fan of dill, try substituting basil or parsley. Taste it before you serve, and see if you want more salt or pepper. Also, try adding different vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, or even a green apple. Sure, it won't be all green, but it will taste good, and that's all that matters.

I've made this salad with balsamic vinegar, and it tasted superb, but the color was a little muddied by the black vinegar. I spent the evening standing by the salad bowl insuring that the vegetables were not spoiled; I had just used balsamic vinegar.