Festive Holiday Salad
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Ingredients
Festive Holiday Salad
- 1 head of good lettuce washed and prepared for salad
- 4-5 small mandarin oranges peeled and sectioned
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- candied almonds (see below)
- poppyseed dressing (see below)
Candied Almonds
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 2 tbsps. sugar
Poppyseed Dressing
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 tbsps. honey
- 1 tsp. dried minced onion
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. poppyseeds
Instructions
Assemble Salad
- Place prepared lettuce in a bowl.
- Top with mandarins, cranberries, and candied almonds.
- Serve with dressing.
Make Candied Almonds
- Combine sliced almonds and sugar in small sauté pan over low heat.
- Stirring frequently, allow sugar to melt and coat almonds. This may take 10-15 minutes.
- Eventually, sugar will begin to melt and coat almonds. When they are an amber color they are done.
- Remove and put on plate to cool. Break apart when cool.
Make Poppyseed Dressing
- Combine vinegar, honey, salt, poppyseeds, and dried onion in a blender.
- Keeping blender going on high, drizzle oil slowly into blender allowing ingredients to emulsify. It should become opaque and creamy.
- When oil is completely added blend for a few seconds more and then turn off.
- Use dressing as desired. Store in fridge.
- Makes approximately 3/4 cup. Double, triple as desired.
Notes
- Best served immediately, but it will keep for a day or so in fridge.
- If serving for a group I recommend tossing salad with all of dressing first for simplicity, but dressing can be served on the side.
- Of course, customize your salad with other ingredients you like such as apple chunks, pomegranate seeds, etc.!
Servings: 10 people