Maybe not Totally Fat Tuesday

Just in case y'all are partying it up today with butter, eggs, meats, gumbo, jambalaya, King's cake and gosh only knows what kind of alcohol, I thought a few greens would be in order! This salad dishes out some "skinny" on Fat Tuesday and is an authentic, down-home recipe from The New Orleans Cookbook. Our Red, White and Food shout out today is to Mardi Gras! For what Wiki has to say about the lore of the festivities, go here  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras.

Old Fashioned "Soaked" Salad

2 heads of lettuce (or combo of greens)
2 large tomatoes

Dressing

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 1 teaspoon minced fresh basil

Wash and dry lettuce. Wash tomatoes and cut into chunks. Put in large stainless steel or porcelain bowl. Combine dressing in a jar and pour over salad. Toss thoroughly and gently bruise tomatoes a bit so they release some of their juice. Cover bowl and refrigerate 3 hours.
To serve, scoop into dessert dishes and spoon about 2 tablespoons of dressing from the bottom of the bowl over each portion. Serves 4-6.