Yummy Winter Salad

All good relationships require a lot of work, wouldn't you agree?  My relationship with salad has been suffering of late, and I've been looking for ways to re-ignite the spark.  

Enter a few hours, spent over the past week, where I've perused some of my favourite websites in search of new salads to try - combinations that may not have naturally occurred to me, and won't make me feel like I'm chewing on a mouthful of summer.  I was successful in my search and tried my first new recipe last night.  I'm happy to report that the combination of baby spinach, blood orange and goat cheese was enough to make me re-think my feelings for this relationship. 

Having said that, the boys aren't crazy about salad, so I used the components of the salad (minus the orange and the pecans) and tossed them with some olive oil and pasta and made a warm meal for them. We were all happy with dinner, which took less than twenty minutes to make...yippee!

How about you?  Do you eat salads over the winter and if so please do send some tasty suggestions my way.  Have a great day, friends!

PS - Those sweet little people in the new header photo are my almost-eight and nine year old boys.  How did they get so big so fast?  In this photo they were making my sister a birthday cake, which also happened to be their first homemade goodie.  Fast forward six years and that same sister is turning the big 3-0 this week - and I can't believe that both she, and they, have gotten so big!

Spinach and Blood Orange Salad with Goat Cheese

Use the quantities the work best for you, compose a salad of the following:

Baby spinach

Blood orange

Goat cheese

Red onion

Pecan pieces

For the dressing:

1 tsp grainy mustard

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

~ Beginning with the spinach layer the ingredients on the plate in the following order: spinach, blood orange, red onion, goat cheese and pecans.

~ Combine the mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well.  Add the olive oil and combine.

~ Drizzle over the salad.

~ Enjoy!

Comments

[kerry]

That salad looks terrific! I love just about anything with goat cheese. And I just love your header. What little sweeties. Time does go so fast!

[Toni]

I love salads...my favourite combination includes mixed baby greens, strawberries, walnuts, feta cheese and balsamic vinagrette!

[Barbara]

Lovely salad recipe! I guess Florida doesn't count as someplace to come up with a winter salad (although it sure is cold here this week!) but I eat one nearly every day for lunch. My mother used to make a Waldorf Salad in the winter, but my favorite is chicken, walnuts, gorgonzola and pears on arugula with a pear vinaigrette.
PS: Your boys are adorable. What a great age!

[Sophie]

My family loves salad but one we love as a whole meal is a taco salad. In a big serving dish, we put romaine lettuce and spinach (not very mexican, but we like the flavor). We cut red and yellow peppers, greens onions, tomatoes and avocadoes. I arrange them over the lettuce. Add grated cheese, black beans and/or meat. Top with a lime/cilantro vinaigrette.

Now since I have one who does not eat tomatoes and avocadoes, she can help herself to a helping without them.

Add sour cream and salsa if desired. Eat with tortilla chips or baked tortillas.

It as a filling, healthy, delicious meal.