"What I really eat" are my "Iron Chef" meals. My pantry meals. Shit, my fridge is empty meals. The things that come out of necessity and lack of time. The ingredient list will usually be small and the execution usually simple. Something that is less of a recipe and more of a guideline. If something exceptionally awesome comes out of my Sunday night scramble, it will get posted as a “What I Really Eat” and probably be accompanied with a not-my-best photo.

Following a Saturday night of indulging in after-midnight pizza in a cathedral after seeing possibly the coolest broadway show ever (Hedwig). Then a hella busy Sunday of recipe testing, I was super in the mood for a salad dinner. My feeling towards salads are that they’re only boring if you let them be. For real, let your freak flag fly. Although, I will admit, my creativity can get the best of me when I hit up those city chopped salad bars. SO MANY CHOICES. I get overwhelmed and always end up with the most confusing salad. Womp, womp.

BUT, at home, with a more limited selection, that’s where I shine. A handful of this and pinch of that, toast these, throw that in, this can’t be a bad idea - in it goes! Even the boyfriend, who doesn’t really believe in salads as meals, could get behind this one. Or really any Kitchen Sink Salad I throw together. I’ve found that my winter salads have been the most inventive. In the summer, it’s so easy to rely on those perfect summer tomatoes, juicy cukes, crisp peppers but you end up with such a typical salad. But in the winter, you have to get creative with what’s available, I always end up with something outta this world.

Don’t feel limited by my ingredients below, GO NUTS, that’s what Kitchen Sink Salads are all about. Gather a base (lettuce, kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts), add whatever other veggies you have on hand (carrots, red onions), next up your add ins -- something spicy maybe like pepperoncinis (personal fave) or pickled jalapeños, something crunchy - sunflower seeds or pepitas, a funky cheese - feta, parm, pecorino or bleu, something sweet -- citrus segments or pomegranate seeds, and maybe some creamy avocado. Top it all off with a simple dressing, something punchy with a lot of acid. Just add protein for a full meal. Big bang boom, you’re done.