PRET salad

[GF in UK]

Pret-A-Manger is a chain here which makes fantastic ready-to-eat meals, take-away or eat-in, and also sell their cookbook (which of course I have!). There's one on nearly every block in London, and they label for gluten, etc. (Other chains which do that are E.A.T. and M&S. Very handy when you're out for the day and need lunch!))

A lot of their stuff is baguette sandwiches (which I can make on GF bread) and hot meals, but they also have some superb salads, too ("Breadless Sandwiches" as they call them!).

One that I make, inspired by one of their creations:

- A bowl of mixed greens (I use watercress, rocket, etc)
- Half a dozen torn basil leaves, mixed in with the greens
- Roasted tomatoes and peppers
(I do them in the oven, with a drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper)
- A sliced avocado
- Toasted pine-nuts
* If you can tolerate cheese, a few slices of fresh mozzarella
- Reduced balsamic (or just regular balsamic)
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper

No directions, obviously -- just put it all into a bowl and drizzle it with the oil and reduced-vinegar . . . It's best if the veggies are still on the wram side, as could be the pine-nuts.

EDITED:

Guess I should have said more about the roasting of vegetables for salads -- not everyone may be a 'roaster.'

Once a week or so I get a few roaster pans out, put halved tomatoes (small to medium ones, even grape tomatoes, yellow and red), various peppers, radichio, onions, whatever else I think would be good (green beans are great) in the pans, drizzle with olive oil and grind on some sea salt and fresh pepper, roast for about an hour, and then store them for the week in the fridge. They're ready for a salad, or to have on the side with some fish or a steak (having that as I type, actually!) . . . you can use a vinaigrette instead of olive oil and balsamic, can toss in a few olives (I get mixed greens, blondes, and browns). The veggies are so sweet and delicious. I don't normally like salads in winter (just too cold and creepy), but a roasted salad hits the spot.