1. Make the dressing.

In a storage jar/other container, combine the following:

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (I squeeze my lemons over a strainer to ensure no seeds fall into the mix.)
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 1 cup very finely grated parmesan (about 1 ounce). See image below to see what I mean by “very finely” (I use a microplaner to do this – it results in very finely grated parmesan; if not very finely grated, that’s fine, just reduce the amount of Parm to 1/2 cup.)
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

(Very finely = the thin parmesan on top of this salad.)

2. Toss salad with dressing.

I use about 1/4 cup for every 4 ounces of leaves.

3. Add toppings, if using.

• For tomatoes/avocado/pine nuts: Throw them onto the salad and toss again right before you eat. 
• For croutons: Toast your slice of crusty bread. While it is still warm, slice it into crouton-sized pieces. Immediately toss with the pre-dressed salad and eat immediately. (You must pre-toss the salad before adding the croutons or they will absorb too much dressing.)
• For parmesan, and a pretty presentation: After the salad is tossed and ready to go, you can grate a little parmesan over the top to make it very pretty. Again, I use a microplaner to do this – it results in very finely grated parmesan that looks prettttttty.  

4. Enjoy!