}
I know it's a little weird to start a new blog without some sort of introduction and statement of purpose, but I needed to get this down before I forgot to.
1 Salt & spice any kind of fruit: best choices are either stone fruits or green pears (during the summer, nectarines are ideal); hit them with salt (smoked salt is perfect) and any combo of garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and/or paprika; if you're using FRESH tomato, slice / salt / spice / colander just like the fruit; if you're using dried (like I usually do), then just mix them in at the end if you want;
2 Sit the diced / spiced fruit in a colander to give up some moisture while you make the rest of it.
3 Prep any kind of green: if you use something harsh / tough like kale, then cut it into ribbons and it works great; my favorite mix is pea shoots, frisée, and crunchy clover sprouts.
4 Crush nuts of your choice to mix in: dry roasted without other flavors is ideal (unless you know you'll like whatever flavor).
5 Grate cheese of your choice (can skip cheese and it's still good); neutral flavored chesses—such as hard Labneh (tricky to find), Monterrey Jack, mozzarella, or mild cheddar—are best unless you've experimented and know you'll like the result of something stronger.
6 Prep any protein (if the salad is a meal on its own): can't go wrong with bacon or pancetta, but if you don't use cheese in step 6 then seafood works great too;
7 Miscellaneous ingredients: I've used sweet pickled beets, mint, basil, kholrabi, and radishes before but not everyone likes those things. Experiment as you like. My salad is usually just the stuff in 1-5 above.
8 Toss it all together with tongs.