Excellent Homemade Chef's Salad

Excellent Homemade Chef's Salad
1 head iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped
1/4 pound arugula, torn into bite-size pieces
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned
3 large or 5 medium radishes, julienned
1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 small sweet onion, sliced thin (optional)
12-16 pitted small black olives (Nicoise preferred)
Fresh ground black pepper
1/3-1/2 cup homemade or store-bought low-fat salad dressing
4 ounces thick-sliced baked Virginia ham (or other good quality ham) cut into 1-inch pieces
4 ounces thick-sliced roasted turkey breast cut into 1-inch pieces
4 ounces extra sharp 2 percent cheddar cheese cut into thin, long pieces
Fat-free croutons (optional)To a large salad bowl add lettuce, arugula, cucumber, radishes, cherry tomatoes, onion and black olives, tossing to mix well. Grind on some black pepper to taste and then add dressing and mix until coated.Divide between 4 dinner plates. Distribute equal amounts of ham, turkey, and cheddar cheese on top of each salad. Serve, passing the croutons.Serves four.Nutrition values per serving (with 1/2-cup low-fat dressing and no croutons): 231 calories (36 percent from fat), 9.3 g fat (3.9 g saturated fat), 15.5 g carbohydrates, 2.7 g fiber, 20.5 g protein, 22 mg cholesterol, 806 mg sodium.SaltSense: 88 percent of the sodium comes from just three of the ingredients: cheese, ham and turkey. Locating sodium-reduced products for each could significantly reduce the sodium in this salad.LeanNotes: If you can't find or don't like arugula, watercress works well too. Large, sliced green pitted olives may substitute for the Nicoise olives.For future lunches: After mixing the salad ingredients but before adding the dressing, place half those ingredients in a plastic bag and refrigerate. Also reserve half the meat and cheese.