Basic Chop Salad with Homemade Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing

So this week for the health and fitness challenge I'm in we are striving to consume our recommended servings of vegetables daily, similar to our challenge with fruits last week (when I shared my recipe for this beautiful fruit salad).  For me personally that is about 2 and a half cups of veggies per day...easy peas-y!

I thought I would stick with my "eat the rainbow" theme and create a veggie dish that showcases a bright assortment of colors as well.  Some of them, particularly the purples and blues, were a bit challenging to represent, but with a little creativity I think I got them all: tomatoes for the red, carrots for the orange, a sweet bell pepper for yellow, lettuce, celery and cucumbers for the greens, and a red/purple onion for the blues/purples...I even snuck some white in the form of garlic cloves into this homemade ranch dressing along with some vibrant fresh herbs.

A chop salad seemed like a great way to put them all together and boy was I right if I say so myself...I could easily get my 2 and half cups in each day with a big plate of this salad as a side dish or as a meal all on its own!

Chop salads started trending a few years ago and I never knew what the big deal was...that is until I tried to eat a salad with a squirming child on my hip trying to grab each bite I took.  Now I get it! A chop salad, which is basically a regular salad all chopped up into bite sized pieces provides the opportunity to enjoy a salad- gracefully!  Anyone who has ever fought in that battle between their fork and the one gigantic leaf of lettuce in their salad while not slopping dressing all over their face and/or clothes knows what I am talking about...and here is the solution.

Makes: 4 generous servings

Salad Ingredients:
1/2 head of iceberg lettuce (I know, I know iceberg is like the black sheep of the lettuce family but its crispness makes it perfect for this salad)
1 small tomato
6 baby carrots
1/4 yellow sweet bell pepper
1/2 English cucumber
1 small stalk celery
1/4 purple onion

Dressing Ingredients:
1 (6 oz.) container plain Greek yogurt
1-2 tablespoons lowfat milk
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Handful each: fresh chives, dill, and parsley, roughly chopped

Directions:
Prepare the salad dressing first by combining the Greek yogurt, milk, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs in a small bowl and set aside.

Wash and chop all of the vegetables, except lettuce, into bite-sized pieces, approximately 1/4 inch.  The lettuce can be chopped into larger pieces, approximately 1/2 to 1 inch.

Place all of the vegetables into a large bowl and give them a toss to mix them up.

Pour the salad dressing over top and toss again to coat all of the pieces evenly.  Serve immediately. **The salad dressing can be kept separate until serving if the salad is to be eaten at a later time.

Delicious topped with a little bit of grated Parmesan cheese and warm croutons!

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