Cranberry and Feta Salad (sans Helvetica)

I just realized that my Microsoft Word does not have Helvetica as a font. The most overly used font in the world and my version of Word has omitted it from its font choices.

There may be a good reason. Perhaps Microsoft has to pay lots of money to someone to use such a font. Perhaps they are the creator of some other nifty font that is a major competitor. Perhaps they are just tired of the abundant use of the most readable font on Earth. Or perhaps they just don’t appreciate the modern world.

Whatever the reason, I am sitting here with a mixture of feelings for the sudden void of my “go-to” font, Helvetica.

Agitated would be my first choice of emotion. I wanted this to be a straight forward – “I like salad!” “Don’t you like salad?” post. And what better way to express that than a straight up crisp, cool font? But, I realize that instead of the annoying pinch of agitation, I am chuckling. No, I am laughing. Laughing one of those nervous laughs that come about when suddenly I am thrust into a world where the normal everyday order of things has been altered.

I feel like a fish floundering on shore wondering where the ocean went. And that’s just it. Microsoft’s omission of Helvetica is like trying to hide an ocean. And someone is bound to notice. I noticed. And have decided to write a post about salad in anything but the step-child of Helvetica, Arial. Thanks to default Times New Roman. No thanks to you Microsoft Word.

So…Salad. I am about to dig into this salad with a newfound luster for sweet, savory, fresh cool baby spring lettuce and dried cranberries. This salad is addicting. Seriously. I am not kidding.

Every time I think about eating Cranberry Feta Salad my taste buds get sparked and do a little dance in anticipation. I can simply catch a whiff of – cranberry muffins, herbed cheese pastries, roasted tomatoes – and somehow I am always brought back to this salad. That is the magic of something so simply delicious that almost anything makes you crave it. Even if you are not a salad lover or even a salad eater. Give this a try. And be warned…it is delicious.

Cranberry Feta Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups baby spring lettuce
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• ½ red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
• ½ yellow or orange pepper, de-seeded and chopped
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• Other recommendations: chopped cucumber (de-seeded), sesame seeds
• Dressing: Low-fat zesty Italian

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients into a bowl and toss.
2. Serve with dressing on the side.
3. Enjoy!

The Fresh Fridge Tip: If you are anything like me, I like my salad to be in easily bite-sized chunks before I eat. If you simply chop the lettuce into small pieces before hand, I find it to be a lot more manageable for eating.