Monday, July 14, 2008

Jen's Summer Salad

I love salad...probably an inherited trait from my mom, although she thinks of salad as a meal and I think of it is a side dish. :) I always offer to bring a salad to pot luck occasions because they are a staple and so quick and easy to throw together when we are inevitably running late. On one such occasion, I had planned to grab a Parisian salad kit from Costco, and take that as my dish, but didn't make it to Costco. I had some lettuce and summer fruit in my fridge so I tossed a bunch of stuff together that sounded yummy and it was. It is now a staple salad at our house and gets raving reviews when I take it somewhere. Enjoy!

1 head of Romaine, Green Leaf, Red Leaf or Spinach lettuce, chopped
1 cup fresh sliced strawberries
1 cup fresh sliced grapes or whole blueberries
1/2 cup slivered almonds or halved walnuts, sugar toasted*
1/2 cup feta or gorgonzola cheese (optional)
Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Combine lettuce, strawberries, grapes or blueberries, nuts and cheese in a large salad bowl. Immediately before serving, add dressing to taste. Toss and serve.

*To sugar toast nuts place 1-2 spoonfuls sugar in a small pan and add nuts over top. Let sit over med-low heat until sugar melts, stirring occasionally. Stir nuts to coat with melted sugar. The sugar can burn easily and quickly, so watch carefully.

1 comment:

Hillary said...

Yum, that sounds so good! I've never tried to sugarcoat nuts before (knowing me, I'll definitely burn them a few times before getting it right). I've tried this salad with green apples and mandarin oranges before, so I'm excited to try strawberries in it!