Creative Events: Build Your Own Salad Party

Here are just a few of the dietary restrictions that may be in attendance at any gathering Tess and I organize amongst our friends: vegetarian, no conventionally raised meats, no gluten, no dairy, no squash, no nightshades, no alcohol, no pasta, no rice, no potatoes, no fried foods of any kind, no dressings, no….fun? Now, I certainly can’t complain, considering I was vegetarian for 20 years. But this does pose an interesting challenge.

The solution: build your own salad party. We provide the greens, a selection of homemade dressings (one of my favorites: foolproof vinaigrette from Cook’s Illustrated), bread for the non-glutards, and maybe a few other accoutrements to fill us all up. Everyone else brings a salad ingredient to share. When we did this the other night, the result was some pretty damn inspiring salads—salads you’d never make on your own for the sheer hours of chopping they’d involve. And all the dietarily challenged folks were happy, hooray! Buon appetito.