.lodge salad.

Jim's been out in Seattle at a hiring conference so I haven't done much cooking. When he's gone though, it gives me the opportunity to make what *I* want because he usually isn't a big fan of it. I'm not sure why he doesn't like this salad.... but he said it was just "okay". HUH? LOL

There's a restaurant in town called Smokey Bones. It is a "lodge-y" type place where they serve ribs, brisket, smoked sausage, the BEST onion rings, donuts.... everything I've had there has been pretty good. My favorite thing to menu item is the Lodge Salad. It is so light and crunchy and has a little spice in it from the dressing. This is my adaptation of their salad. I had a hard time finding the exact items, but what I do use makes it pretty dang close to theirs. This is seriously a great salad!!!!!


Let's start by making the dressing. Put 1 cup mayo and 1 cup milk in a bowl. Add 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp dill weed, 1 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp chili powder. Mix it all up and put in the fridge while we make the salad.

The original salad has romaine and spring lettuce. I prefer spinach instead of romaine and they make these lovely half and half bags now! Perfect!

Dump this in a large bowl.

Dice up some cucumber.


Dice up some tomato. You remember my thing about tomatoes in salad.... I pull out all of the seeds and slimy crud before dicing. I can't stand that stuff on my lettuce! Ick!


This is a pack of Oriental Party mix. It has the toasted sesame crackers, roasted peas, sunflower seeds and roasted peanuts. It's the most perfect blend of crunchy I have found. If you can't find this exact brand, use what you do find. Make sure you get one with roasted peas and the sesame crackers!

Dump in some of this into your salad. For the pack of salad I used, you'll probably want about 3/4 cup.


Grate some cheddar cheese and asiago cheese. Make sure you use the small grate side. About 1/3 cup of each one.


Mix everything together in the bowl. If you want to add a little sliced red onion, feel free! I left it out that night, but when I made more for lunch the next day, I added a little onion.

Drizzle with a little dressing and toss to coat. Serve immediately.


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_85fpg57hvn