Mixed Green Salad with Strawberries Almonds and Feta

Brunoise the shallot and combine with balsamic vinegar and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil in a thin stream. For details, see the attached recipe. Only 1/2 a batch of the attached recipe is needed for this salad.

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

One of my favorite dressings for a basic green salad. Most grocery stores will carry high quality mixed greens that are washed and ready to go. Just whip up a quick batch of this balsamic vinaigrette and you've got a great side salad in under 10 minutes.

Make sure your mixed greens are clean and dry. Place them in a large salad bowl.

Add picked basil. Tear any larger leaves in halves or quarters.

Wash the strawberries. Slice off the stems. Arrange on a cutting board and quarter. Toss with mixed greens.

How to Quarter Strawberries Quickly

When prepping small fruits and vegetables, it can save you a lot of time by grouping them cleverly and slicing in one motion. This works great for strawberries, but it also illustrates a way of thinking about prep that can be applied to a lot of repetitive kitchen tasks.

Chop the almonds to your preference. I like them at least broken in half. You can even just crush them with a heavy skillet if you're in a hurry.

Toss in the feta crumbles.

Pour in the vinaigrette. Start with about 1/2 to make sure you don't add more than you like. You should also feel free to just serve the vinaigrette on the side so that the salad will stay fresher.

Toss the salad. You don't want to crush the leaves. Gently reach down under the greens and turn them over repeatedly until mixed. Check the seasoning and adjust as you mix.

Gently stack the leaves. Salads really look great when you carefully stack the leaves without crushing them.