Ga-ga for Gorgonzola, Part 1: My New Favorite Salad

What I really wanted to call this post was: Bad Breath Salad. But really, when you are doing a Google search for gluten free lunch ideas, who's gonna type in "Bad Breath Salad?" Anyway, one day I was messing around in the kitchen, cleaning out my leftovers and trying to make up something with a lot of flavor. I have to be honest here: I don't love salad dressing. I don't know why, but it has to be just the right balance of dressing and lettuce for me. I think that's why I like this salad combo so well. You don't need a drop of dressing and it has so much character.

And let's just talk about gorgonzola for a minute. Gorgonzola cheese is just basically an Italian Blue Cheese that crumbles and tastes a lot like French Bleu Cheese. It's a little creamier and it has a tangy bite to it that I am, quite literally, addicted to. I buy the Salemville Amish Brand, and I like the pre-crumbled kind. It has a dark blue label, you can't miss it in your specialty cheese section. There are two reasons I have been drawn to Gorgonzola. One is that back in the day when I was first diagnosed with Celiac's disease I read some literature that said to be careful with Bleu Cheese because of the way they produce it. I'm always longing for the taste of Bleu Cheese but scared to try it just in case that literature was right. When I looked on the Salemville label, it specifically states that they use corn starch to keep the cheese crumbly. And I checked it out on Gluten Free Fox, too, and gorgonzola is a safe cheese. Whew. At least they can't take that away from us, right?

So here's how I make this super-yummy, semi healthy salad:

1. Chop one romaine heart of lettuce and place in a bowl.

2. Chop one or two green onions and add to the lettuce.

3. Add some chopped mushrooms, if you have them.

4. Put a scoop of tuna/mayonnaise mixture over the veggies. (If you've made a tuna salad the day before and didn't add relish, this is the perfect way to use up that tuna.)

5. Crumble gorgonzola cheese over the top. Be generous! The flavor is fantastic!

That's it. I try to trick myself into thinking this is diet food. I know it's probably not, with the mayo (I DO use light mayo) and the cheese (but there's protein in cheese!) but it's filling and de-lish, so I look on the bright side about it. And keep your Altoids nearby...you may need them when you're done.

Happy eating!