buona sera, amici!!!  we’re back from italy, and once again, my passion for italian food has been ignited!

not hard to do.

but here’s the truth ~ no matter how AMAZING that fresh, incredible pasta is, i cannot eat it for every meal.  my body doesn’t want me eating it at all!

as my friend steve says, “I’VE BEEN GLUTENED!!!”

i came back with a renewed fervor for italian takes on whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats ~ salads with lots of flavor, and grilled antipasti ready to snack on at all times.

EXHIBIT A:

this glorious salad has given me life tonight.  i feel like this gorgeous antipasti salad has cured my jet lag .  seriously.

here’s what you do:

• start by stocking up your fridge with italian goodies.  this may cost a lot at first, but it all lasts a really long time.  you must think like an italian when you go to the grocery store!  i was lazy and just went to the olive bar and filled a container with marinated artichokes, mushrooms, black and green olives, and sundried tomatoes.  YUM.  but you can buy all those things in jars and have them at the ready.
• simply pull all that yummy stuff out of your fridge and mix with some fresh spinach, greens (thank you lindsey!!!), and any leftovers you might have.  i had grilled asparagus and corn i cut up and added (italians have this thing for corn in salad), and if i had boiled eggs, i would have added them for sure.
• get crazy with the protein if you like!  tuna is amazing in this salad.
• you can toss all this together with the oil from the antipasti/olives, and that’s really enough.  but i made a light dressing with stone ground mustard, honey, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil.  i really didn’t need it ~ there’s so much flavor in the antipasti.
• don’t forget to top with fresh chopped basil.  if i could bathe in basil, i would.

if you worry about your calories with dressings, you should definitely try this salad.  you really don’t need the dressing at all!