It is no secret that I love iceberg lettuce.
It gets a bad rap for being void of nutrition and flavor, but I love its crunch in a salad or a sandwich.
We stayed at our new place for the first time last night. As we are still in packing mode and haven’t yet scheduled the movers, we camped on the floor in a mountain of air mattress, blankets, and Basil.
We ordered pizza and I snagged the iceberg from our old fridge to make appetizer size wedge salads, with extra crunch.
spicy crunchy wedge salads
dairy free, vegan
makes two wedges or four mini wedges
1/2 head iceberg lettuce
1/4 – 1/3 cup chipotle tomato dressing
(vegan) bacon bits
roasted almonds, chopped
sea salt, black pepper to taste
Wash and dry lettuce, removing outer layer. Chop into halves or quarters, arrange on plates or serving tray. Top with 1-2 tablespoons dressing, sprinkle with roasted almonds, bacon, salt and pepper.
Enjoy every crunchy bite!
chipotle tomato dressing
2-3 chipotle peppers (from canned in adobo)
2-3 roma tomatoes
1/4 cup mayonnaise (vegan)
pinch sea salt
In food processor, puree chipotle peppers and tomatoes. Combine chipotle puree with 1/4 cup mayonnaise (more or less to taste) and sea salt. Double recipe for leftovers – store covered in refrigerator.
These triple crunch wedges are perfect for a party appetizer – you can almost eat it with your hand – we did! Cool, crisp and refreshing, this is a great summer salad!
{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
um, genius! SO delish looking! I love iceberg too, even with its bad rap
camping out at the new digs, I love it!!
so good to hear from people who like the iceberg!
we’ve been having fun camping, it’s not too bad with the air mattress, but we sure miss that bed… it gives me motivation to finish packing so I can schedule the movers!
i love the idea! i love lettuce too. of course it doesnt fill me up but all the crunch with the chipotle dressing. yumm!
yeah, if this were a “meal” salad it would need more oopmh, definitely. we got that from the pizza…
iceberg is the only lettuce my husband will eat, he would totally love this.
well, there you go – you must make them for him, Rhonda!
so fresh and fun!! I want to be invited to that housewarming party. have fun camping!
if you got the invite, will you fly out?? because you know I will…
This made me hungry! I actually prefer iceberg over romaine and mesculin salad but know it has no nutritional value so I just eat it on sandwiches. I’m going to try this!!
I do too – when I make an actual bowl of salad, I often add iceberg just for the crunch. it goes well with spinach, you know
These would be the best possible thing to eat in mid-July! That dressing sounds perfect.
“Oops, I ate an entire head of lettuce!” OH WELL.
haa, yep – you can eat the whole thing easily! wedge salads are a perfect cool treat for summer…
YUM! I always love the look of these and think, “How simple – I should make those…what a timesaver!” The only lettuce I knew existed growing up was iceburg… so I’ve ignored it in adulthood. Maybe it’s time to kiss and make up.
Yay for the first night in a new place!!!
I love them – spoon the dressing over the very top, and it gets down into each layer! it IS time to kiss and make up, if only for the wedge!
and thanks, Amy! we wanted to the night we got the keys, but we were too tired, and without internet, ha!. we can go without a BED, but not without technology…
Those look so refreshing : )
Ok gotta say I don’t like iceberg. I always thought I hated salads b/c all I had as a kid was iceberg. But… with that sauce? Just maybe
see? with this sauce you’d like it!
me too! it’s like a rice cake.. just a vehicle for good toppings, a crunchy!
haa, and I don’t like rice cakes
but yes, a crunchy vehicle for good toppings, that’s why I like iceberg!
I love iceberg too! I usually mix iceberg with some spring greens so I get the crunch and crisp freshness of the iceberg, but I feel a bit better about the nutrients and healthiness of the greens.
I’m so excited about your new house!!! I love that your timing is almost the same as mine. Makes me feel like I have a moving buddy to share all this stress and overwhelmingness with!
I do the same thing, mix some iceberg into more nutritious greens, so I get the benefits AND the crunch!
I know, we ARE moving buddies… trying to do all this while working, taking care of my Dad, sometimes blogging? heh! I am excited though, for my plans and to see more of yours! (and definitely we can commiserate together… XXO
Oooh, I love these! Sometimes I do prefer Iceberg, like in the old-fashioned seven layers salad. Do you remember that one? Now you have me craving one! And I would love one of these wedges, too. I’d eat it without my hands for sure.
xo,
Shirley
yes, the seven layer salad – another classic from childhood! (and now I’m craving one too!) these wedges are pretty easy to eat with your hands, when they’re mini quarters like that…
fun and creative food! I like!
What a bitchin’ idea – so fresh, so yummy…this reminds me of dare I say 1970′s salads…tres chic…my Mum would serve Ceasar Salad this way…I LOVE it!
N.
absolutely, very retro!
someone else brought up the seven layer salad, remember that one? mmm, a caesar salad, one of my favorite flavors… I have made them with whole pieces too, harder to eat though.
XXO!
Now that sounds like a fun adventure! I’m a total iceberg lover too! That crunch is perfect since I love some crunchy texture to my food. This looks delicious!
it was… especially when we remembered Basil BIT the air mattress last time we used it and woke up to a flat mattress…
we went to the mattress store at lunchtime. 
So simple, yet so adorable! I usually only think of wedge salads at restaurants, but I love the idea of having them at home as a simple starter!
they are kind of a restaurant thing, but really, they’re generally easier / faster than a normal salad, so why not?
(the salads I make anyway – tend to be elaborate…)
Love a good crunchy salad
Iceberg lettuce just hits the spot sometimes! I love romaine hearts for the same reason–cool crunchiness. And I love that you camped out in your new house–I totally did the same thing while moving, too
yes, I love romaine for the same reason, AND they double as a “boat” vehicle, even more of a hand held!
(have you ever grilled romaine? a little olive oil, balsamic, sea salt… ooh it is SO good…) we camped two nights on the air mattress, which has a Basil Bite hole, then had our new bed delivered today 
back to a good night’s sleep!
hope all is going great at YOUR new place!
J’love Grilled Romaine – you are truly one of a kind. Just had pizza “Rob Style”…ingredients from a box from the store (made by hand)…but – I love that he made it for me as I do all the cooking…I will leave you to your devices as to “the Kraft kind” I ref. to…I Dr’d my edge up with fresh Basil (of course as a tribute) olive oil and a glass of Vino on the side…Happy Friday to you Jason and Mr. B. Hope Daddy is well.
From across the miles North of the Border…xo
Basil wiggles in thanks for the tribute… enjoy your vino, dear friend, and your weekend! XXO we are good, Dad is GOOD. hope YOU are too!
Umm, I have never had grilled romaine, but that has suddenly become a goal! And I don’t have a grill, so that means I get to talk someone else into cooking it for me. Grilled lettuce I don’t have to make? I’m pretty excited about this possibility.
I’m absolutely loving my place–My home reno projects are really coming together, and I just walk in my front door with a smile each day! And ahh, the joys of a real bed–it helps to camp out a few nights so you can really appreciate the invention of mattresses again
Freaking freaking, mother freaking adorable/genius/brilliant/amazing idea, friend. Freak. I love it, gah!
well, mother freaking THANK YOU!! wish you were here to enjoy them with me! XO
Woo! Hello from a fellow iceberg fan! I’m what you might call an addict
As well as it adding crunch to lunch and dinner, I quite often have it at breakfast too! (Avacado, tomato, raw courgetter (zuchinni) and iceberg on toast, with plenty of srirachi! Crunchy, refreshing and spicy start to the day!)
Can’t have a squidgie lettuce! x
You’ve got to be sure to fondle your icebergs before you buy them though!
I love a good wedge salad! What a perfect meal to celebrate your first night in the new house!
I’m right behind you on the iceberg lettuce loving train (you know, because that definitely exists). When I eat it, I barely even consider it a veggie serving for the day, but it’s just so refreshing! Plus it can be a great vehicle for tremendous salads… like your little mini wedges! They’re so cute, and I love the thought of eating them alongside pizza.
What a cute idea!!! I’ll be trying this! Thanks…I love iceberg too!
Though it’s rare that I allow myself to indulge, I will admit that I love a good wedge salad, too! Iceberg is just so refreshing, and seriously, it’s not like it’s BAD for you. The hyperbole about how devoid of nutrients such a humble head of lettuce is has gotten way out of control. It’s still a fresh vegetable for goodness sake!
THANK YOU for saying this, Hannah! I completely agree, it’s still a great food! I obviously want to eat nutrient dense foods much of the time, but I also like my salads crunchy…
I love this salad! So simple and elegant and pretty! And yummy
. Got to try this one!
This looks divine; how spicy is the dressing? I have used chipotles before and know they are pretty hot … Does the mayo tone it down?
it is spicy, but not overly so. if you aren’t a big fan of spicy, play with the amounts, use less of the chipotle and taste as you go? we love this dressing, to me it’s more flavorful spicy than heat spicy.
…I spent the afternoon making recipes with habaneros, so my perspective could be a little off right now
This dressing was delicious! I actually used it as a tomato sauce on top of Caramelized Chicken & Pasta – YUMMMM! Thanks for a great recipe!
thank you, Jaime! I am so happy you like it! Cheers, Kristina
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