Spring Salad

Consider this my "happy salad." I just love the different textures, shapes and colors of this dish. My mother-in-law always likes a variety of color in her meals, and I guess it kinda' rubbed off on me. But aside from the color, I absolutely love the taste of this salad. I used the dressing of my strawberry salad, but used Spring veggies. I also added mandarin oranges (from fruit cups!) to give it more tanginess.

As for the ham - it was leftover from the night before. I hate throwing food out (especially meat!) so I always try to create another dish out of leftovers.

The inspiration for this dish is Crispers' Signature Summer salad - which I absolutely love, mainly because of the candied pecans. I didn't have pecans in my pantry, but I used honey roasted almonds. Oh, and since I don't like Gorgonzola, I used feta instead.

This salad is so healthy and delicious. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it!

What you need:

For the Salad (as many or little as you like):
Spring veggie mix (includes baby lettuces, baby greens, endives, radicchio)
strawberries, hulled and quartered
slices of mandarin oranges
cooked ham, cubed
red onion
crumbled feta
honey roasted almonds

 For the dressing:
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
2 teaspoons strawberry jelly


What to do: 

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Whisk well to distribute ingredients evenly. Set aside.

Place veggie mix in a large bowl. Add prepared dressing and toss well. Serve on plates. Top with the remaining ingredients.  


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. Smoked turkey also works well with this salad.
2. Too sweet for you? Skip the strawberry jelly.
3. Use white wine vinegar instead of red.
4. Not a fan of feta? Use gorgonzola or bleu cheese.