Composed Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

Happy Lughnasadh! That would be August 1 for all of you non-Gaelic or non-pagan worshipers. It's the first feast of the harvest according to old Gaelic culture. I always think fondly of the Meryl Streep movie, "Dancing at Lughnasadh" since that was one of the traditions, to dance around the fires set up around the fields to light the workers' way as they toiled after dark to get in the first harvests.  This salad is a perfect harvest feast, and with so little fuss!

Lydia of The Perfect Pantry inspired me to come up with my version, but it really is a catch all of the fresh produce coming out of gardens right now (whether it be yours or the local markets!) It's so easy to tailor it to your own tastes from the protein to the dressing to the greens. Laying it out on the plate allows everyone to pick and choose what they want to layer over their greens.

Composed Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing (inspired by The Perfect Pantry)
(serves 3-4)

1/2 lb salad greens (I used arugula from my garden)
1 cup tomatoes, cut in bite size pieces
10 oil-cured olives
2-3 new potatoes, boiled until tender and drained, cut in bite size pieces
1 cup cucumber, cut in bite size pieces
1/2 bell pepper (any color), cut in bite size pieces
protein - cooked beans, chicken, tuna, grilled tofu, crumbled bacon, cheese
1/2 cup homemade Ranch Dressing

Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup butter milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper

Combine all in jar or cup and blend thoroughly.

Provide bowl of greens and plate with salad ingredients. Allow diners to serve themselves and pass dressing to be added to individual plates.

Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me:

Flatbreads with Honey, Thyme and Seasalt at Smitten Kitchen
Garlic Scape Pesto at Nutmeg Nanny
Grilled Salmon at Kalofagas