Lunch on the Go: Dean and Deluca Salad*

*This is actually an imitation D & D salad since I live about 200 miles away from one.


One of the million+ reasons I miss Charlotte is the amount of restaurants that aren't Bojangles or someplace called Mama's Chicken Kitchen. (Veganism aside, whose mama only cooks chicken? Creepy.)

Since I'm nothing if not a girl on a budget, one of my favorite places to sneak off to on a teacher workday or splurge on weeknight takeout was Dean and Deluca.

You...are...so beautiful...to meeeeee

My favorite was when my roomie's dad would pick us up salads and their amazing (probably calorie-laden) pita chips on Monday nights before The Bachelor came on. (Trust me: If you need to make Mondays bearable, add some D & D pita chips into the mix.)

In light of the fact that there are no Dean-and-Deluca-worthy restaurant establishments within many, many miles of me, I'm having to take matters into my own hands. I've attempted to put together my favorite ingredients for my very own D & D salad as my go-to lunch for the week.

Basically that means:
Spring Mix greens
Avocado
Chik peas
Artichoke hearts
Cherry tomatoes
Olives

With some pita chips or tortilla chips on the side for some crunch.

Sigh. As delish as it is, it's still not the same.

What favorite restaurant meals do you re-create at home?