Look, there’s nothing fancy about this salad, but it’s easy to make and easy to eat, with a few special ingredients to make it unique. Everything is chopped and fits on a fork, unlike a baby spinach or spring mix salad with leaves that awkwardly flop around and require a knife. It’s a great standard to have in your cookbook for any meal.

Serves 4

1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup pitted and halved black olives
1/2 cup haricots verts (French green beans, steamed and cut into 1-inch pieces)*
1/2 cup peeled and diced English cucumber
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
2 Tbsp. chopped dill, large stems removed

In a small bowl, combine onion, vinegar, salt and pepper and let stand for five minutes to blend the flavors. Add olive oil and whisk, then set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients, then top with dressing and toss to combine.

*An easy way to steam the haricots verts is to place them in a microwave-safe dish with a tablespoon or so of water. Microwave for 30 seconds or so, but stop if you start hearing the beans pop!

I adapted this recipe from one I found at Epicurous.