Iceberg lettuce gets such a bad rap, and to be truthful, I rarely use it. Though going forward I think that will change because this was a wonderful dinner this evening and really hit the spot. It was flavorful but not explosively so, more in a comforting way, and as we know, “raw comfort food” can be a bit of an oxymoron.

What I really wanted today was my absolute fave chopped salad, but… I have not located any savoy cabbage locally, I don’t have any raw almond butter, and I don’t have any raw apple cider vinegar.

So…I sought to make something in a similar vein, but with less exotic, less expensive ingredients. Something pedestrian, for every day, for frugal pockets… a satisfying dish to fall back on or use as a base recipe into which other ingredients can be added.

You can dress this salad up with onions, garlic, olives, peppers, herbs, zucchini, cucumbers… you name it. But as it is right here, it’s just a few very basic ingredients — iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, olive oil, salt, pepper — combined in such a way that a natural dressing forms. The salad is also salty, in a good way, with quality salt. I find that when I “jack up the raw” with LGSs in a big way, I need the “yang” of good salt to counter all the “yin” of fruits and greens.

You can eat it right away or let it sit for a bit. In my case, I made it and then had errands to run and didn’t get down to enjoying it for at least an hour. At that point, the lettuce was slightly wilted in a tenderized sorta way. In this state, it would make for a very nice filling for a raw salad sammich! A good use for leftovers.

But I ate nearly the whole thing, with a bowl set aside for my youngest son. I enjoyed it as I usually enjoy my chopped salads… with a few organic tortilla chips.

(I also appreciate chopped salads with toasted Ezekiel bread, which I don’t have on hand. I look forward one day to devise some great raw chips that don’t include flax seeds, because I can’t stand the taste of them. But until then, I accept that these meals remain only rawish for me to feel truly satisfied.)

I am going to start picking up iceberg now on a regular basis. It’s crunchy, high-water-content goodness that I’m happy to give pride-of-place in my own raw cuisine!

Note: You need to be logged in to see the rest of this recipe.

Click here to log in.

Not registered? Click here to register.

If you have any problems registering, please send notice using the Contact Us form. Thank you so much!