2013 – Gluten Free Living

This salad is spectacular. We had it when we went to the Columbia Restaurant in Clearwater, Florida, over the Christmas holidays. The great thing about the Columbia Restaurant is they post many of their signature recipes including this fantastic recipe. We made it last night and, wow! It is amazing.

One of the best things about this salad is the dressing and toppings. What I especially like is there is no sugar or sweeteners of any kind yet, this is some of the best salad dressing I’ve ever had. I plan to use this dressing and toppings (lemon, Worcestershire sauce, and freshly grated romano cheese) on lots of different salad combinations in the future.

One of the main changes we made to the salad dressing is increasing the white wine vinegar from 1/8 cup to 1/4 cup for a little added pungency. We also like a lot more tomatoes in our salad. Next time I make it we will probably add cucumber and miniature bell pepper rings as well.

If you’re looking for a healthy, low calorie, gluten free way to start off the New Year, here’s a way to eat sensibly and deliciously and lose those added pounds put on over the holidays.

Here’s a look at Columbia Restaurant’s “1905″ Salad when it was served to us at their Clearwater restaurant last week.

Here’s a look at the one I made last night minus the extra black pepper on the top.

Here’s a close up of this delicious salad.

Here’s a plated serving.

Here’s what I did.

Tear one head of iceberg lettuce in bite-size pieces and place in salad bowl.

These were the only ripe tomatoes I could find at the store the other night. I used about 6 of them. They are about twice the size of a cherry tomato and about 1/2 the size of a regular tomato.

I quartered the tomatoes.

I placed 5 slices of Black Forest Ham on my board and cut in cubes.

Add the ham to the salad.

I added about a cup of shredded Swiss cheese.

I added about 3/4 cup to 1 cup of pimiento stuffed Spanish olives.

Make “1905″ dressing. Place olive oil in bowl.

I added about 1 tsp. minced garlic from a jar.

Add oregano.

Whisk together.

Add white wine vinegar.

I added about 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper.

Whisk together until mixture emulsifies. Set dressing aside until ready to serve.

Grate about 3/4 cup Romano cheese.

For the topping you will need romano cheese, Worcestershire sauce and the juice of 1 lemon.

Pour “1905″ dressing over salad.

Here the dressing has been poured over top of the salad.

Add romano cheese.

Add Worcestershire sauce.

Add lemon.

Here I’m squeezing the juice over top of the salad.

Here you can see the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice has been added over top.

Toss all salad ingredients together in salad bowl and serve.

Here’s a close up of the salad after it’s been tossed.

Here’s another look at this delicious salad.

This salad tastes so marvelous. You and your family will love this.

Yum, yum.

Here’s the recipe.

COLUMBIA RESTAURANT’S “1905” SALAD

(Our version of a recipe originally created by waiter, Tony Noriega, in 1940 and adapted by Columbia Restaurant)

4 cups iceberg lettuce broken into 1 1/2” by 1 1/2” pieces (I used one whole head iceberg lettuce)

1 ripe tomato cut into eighths (I used 6 sweet campari tomatoes because they were the only ones ripe)

½ cup baked ham, julienned, 2” x 1/8” (may substitute turkey or shrimp) (I used 5 slices black forest ham cut in ¼”x1/2” pieces)

½ cup Swiss cheese, julienned, 2” x 1/8” (I used 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese)

½ cup pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives (I used about 1 cup pimiento-stuffed olives)

“1905” dressing (see recipe below)

½ cup Romano cheese, grated (I used about ¾ cup)

1 lemon

2 tbsp. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

Combine lettuce, tomatoes, ham, Swiss cheese and olives in salad bowl. Before serving, add “1905” dressing, Romano cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and the juice of one lemon. Toss well and serve immediately. Grind black pepper over top of salads, if desired. Makes 2 full salads or 4 side salads.

“1905” Dressing:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced (I used 1 tsp. minced garlic from a jar)

2 tsp. dried oregano

1/8 cup white wine vinegar (we increase this to ¼ cup)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix olive oil, garlic and oregano in a bowl with a wire whisk. Stir in vinegar, gradually beating to form an emulsion, and then season with salt and pepper. For best results, prepare one to two days in advance and refrigerate.

Here’s a serving of this fantastic salad.

This salad is so easy to make. You can make this up in about 15 minutes including the dressing.

We love this tasty salad and believe you will too.

Here’s a serving for you!

Here’s another look at this satisfying and tasty salad. Consider trying this with sliced turkey or chicken sometime too.

This healthy, low calorie, gluten free salad is a great way to get back on track to healthy eating.

If you are ever in Florida be sure to stop in at one of the Columbia Restaurants in the Tampa Bay area and order their delicious “1905″ Salad. You won’t be disappointed.

You may also like these great salads:

Teresa’s Greek Salad

Mexican Bean Taco Salad

Greek Tomato Salad

Harvest Turkey Salad with Cherry Vinaigrette

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