These are a few of my favorite.....salads

Ahhh..Spring time! The time of the year when our attention turns to fresh things. The photo of Matt has nothing to do with the topic....it is just a photo for his mother. Matt does eat my salads though. I received two phone calls last week asking for salad recipes. One from Tonda asking about a dressing for a Greek Salad and one from my mother asking for the recipe of a salad we ate at Val's house. Below are the recipes I gave over the phone and a recipe I love during the springtime when strawberries are fresh from Florida. Nothing profound about this entry, but just a reminder of how important it is to eat fresh vegetables and fruit.

Val's Apple Pear Salad

Fill salad bowl with romaine greens (I also add radicchio and endive)
Add: 1 apple, diced
1 pear, diced (Bosc pears hold up well in this salad)
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Toss above with dressing just before serving:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar (I use balsamic, white balsamic, or red wine)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup oil (I use olive or a mix of canola and olive)
2-3 teaspoons poppy seeds

Strawberry Spring Salad

Fill salad bowl with fresh spring mix greens (about 8-10 oz). Add about ¾ lb. of sliced fresh strawberries, quartered and a ¼ cup of sliced pecans. I then make a dressing in the food processor using 2 T. olive oil 2 T. Balsamic vinegar, 1 T. raw sugar and 4-5 very ripe strawberries. Puree and pour over the salad just before serving.

Greek Salad

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano or a tablespoon fresh oregano
1 teaspoon of lemon pepper

Pour over a bowl of diced roma tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced green pepper, and diced red onion. You can also add romaine lettuce. Pour dressing over salad and add cubed feta cheese and kalamata olives on top. A hint for the dressing.....adding a bit of mayo will help the oil and the vinegar mix better and keep from separating quickly.