Chopped Salad with Toasted Seeds and Marjoram Mint Dressing

Recipe adapted from: In My Kitchen, by Deborah Madison

Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients in this recipe.  If you don’t have some of the veggies on hand, just leave them out and add a bit more of what you do have.

For the dressing:
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon chopped marjoram
2 teaspoons chopped mint leaves
1/2 cup or more of your best olive oil
1/2 cup diced feta or ricotta salt

For the salad:
A few carrots, peeled and thinly sliced 
1 cucumber, seeded and diced (I always skip the de-seeding part)
several radishes, sliced in thin rounds
1 celery stalk, sliced crosswise
1 or 2 sweet peppers, any variety, diced
1 small onion, sliced in rounds and tossed in a bit of vinegar
3 Tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds or pepitas
2 good sized tomatoes (or 3 smaller tomatoes), chopped into 1” chunks
1 small avocado, halved and diced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the dressing by putting the vinegar in a bowl with the salt and let it stand for a few minutes.  Add the herbs and then whisk in the oil.  Stir in the cheese.  Put all the veggies into a bowl, except for the tomatoes and avocado.  Toss the veggies with salt and pepper to taste and then with as much dressing as you need to dress the salad.  Pour the remainder in a  bowl to use another time.  Scatter the tomatoes, avocado and pepitas over the surface.