November 13, 2011: Holiday Greens Salad Recipe

Here’s another recipe, courtesy of Almond Accents, that’s sure to make your holiday dinner table look quite festive and inviting. While a green salad isn’t a usual addition to the holiday turkey dinner, it’s a dish that is light and flavorful; it could be a replacement for your usual peas or corn or relish tray. The colors are beautiful and the ingredients are fresh.

Holiday Greens With Almonds and Cranberries Salad

4 cups mixed baby greens

½ cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1 tart green apple, diced

½ red onion, thinly sliced

½ cucumber, cut into small chunks

½ cup roasted, sliced almonds

Freshly cracked black pepper

White balsamic dressing (see recipe in November 14, 2011 blog post)

Toss together the greens, fruit, cheese and vegetables. Just before serving, top with almonds and pepper. Serve with dressing alongside.

Serves 8 as a side/starter dish

September 24, 2011: Mixed Greens Salad Recipe

If you’ve been reading along with me this year as I’ve been blogging you probably know by now that my husband is a picky eater. And you probably also know that frustrates me because I want to try new recipes with different ingredients but I don’t want to make a dish only I will end up eating… and eating… and eating.

Anyway, we have a guest this week and for dinner tonight I had a special salad in mind that I thought he might enjoy. Yes, I did have to prepare a different salad for my husband…but it was worth it.

This is simply my favorite salad of all time. I first tasted it at Nello’s in Mesa, Arizona and it was love at first bite. This is my recreated version of that restaurant salad.

Salad minus the dressing - which should be drizzled on right before eating.

Mixed Greens With Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 loose, overflowing cups mixed baby greens

1 cup (1 medium-sized) tomato, diced

¼ cup toasted walnuts*

2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1/4 - 1/3 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette (depending on how much dressing you prefer)

Toss all ingredients together and splash with dressing right before serving.

*To toast walnuts, heat a heavy pan to medium-low. Add walnuts to dry skillet and cook until just fragrant and toasty, about 15 minutes. Watch carefully and stir frequently to prevent them from burning.