Crisp Salad with Cheese Dressing

Salad:

1 package Romaine lettuce, washed and cut 

1 red onion, thinly sliced

handful of grape or cherry tomatoes (they can be left whole, or sliced in half, depending on their size)

croutons for decorating

Dressing:

2½ slices Muenster cheese (or regular American cheese) 

3 tbsp cottage cheese

¼ c vinegar 

2/3 c oil

1 clove garlic 

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1.  Blend dressing ingredients together.

2.  Pour over salad before serving and top with croutons.

Variation: To make the dressing lo-fat, use 1/3 cup oil and 1/3 cup milk instead of 2/3 cup oil. You can also substitute lo-fat cheeses, but the dressing won’t be as smooth and might have a grainier texture. Another way to save calories is to serve the dressing on the side and drizzle a small amount over your portion.

Note: You can experiment with different vinegars such as balsamic, tarragon, wine, and rice vinegar. These will enhance the taste of the dressing.

Tip: Lettuce keeps better if you store it in the refrigerator without washing it. Keep the leaves dry, and wash lettuce the day you are going to use it. To ripen tomatoes, put them in a brown paper bag in a dark closet, and they will ripen. To take away the bite of red onions, soak the sliced onions in ice water (water with ice cubes in it) for 15 minutes.

This recipe appeared in Mishpacha Magazine's Family First section, Shavuos 2011.