Fresh and delicious salad & homemade dressing
Every once in a while, it is nice to add a light and delicious option to the weekly menu. One of my very favourite ways to do this is by making delicious salads that are not just fillers or ways to fit in the daily dose of vegetables, and that are in no way a “sad salad,” as some have called them within our office.
The key to making a scrumptious meal is to try to pair together interesting and unlikely combinations that end up tantalizing your taste buds. In this week’s column, I will share one of my tried and true favourites – a mixture of lettuces, cucumber, onion, and green apple, topped with a homemade dressing, goat cheese, and a warm mixture of oats, seeds, and nuts sprinkled with cinnamon.
As always, begin by rinsing all of your fresh ingredients including spring mix, chopped cucumber, and sliced green apple. Once all of these fresh ingredients are rinsed, place them in a glass dish and drizzle some fresh lemon on top to keep the green apple from browning until you are ready.
Next, it is time to make the salad dressing. In a small glass dish, add extra virgin olive oil, a splash of apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, a pinch of salt, a minced clove of garlic, chopped fresh parsley, and a dash of ground black pepper. Whisk together or shake (if the container has a lid) and let sit until the rest of the preparations are finished so the flavours are able to mingle together.
Moving on to the warmed topping, heat some butter in a frying pan and add rolled oats, slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. Then, sprinkle with cinnamon and a little sugar. Let the mixture get coated nicely and crisp up a bit (this will likely take 10 to 15 minutes) and then remove from heat. The final step is to toss the salad in the dressing, crumble the goat cheese on the green mixture, add some fresh berries or dried cranberries, and top with the warmed mixture. Served by itself or as a side to accompany a main dish. This dish is not only scrumptious, but it is beautiful as well.
Grocery list:
-Spring mix
-One green apple
-Cucumber
-Red onion
-1 clove fresh garlic
-Apple cider vinegar
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Honey
-Ground cinnamon
-Sugar
-Butter
-Rolled oats
-Sunflower seeds (unsalted)
-Pumpkin seeds
-Slivered almonds
– Lemon
-Salt and pepper
-Parsley
-Goat cheese
-Dried cranberries or fresh berries