This salad is YUMMY. My friend Christina brought it to a St. Patricks Day party this year, and it was so yummy I couldn’t stop with just one serving. :) There’s nothing more delicious than a gourmet salad! Hope you enjoy!
*Note from Erin in 2011 – two years later this salad is still my very favorite, and my salad-of-choice when I want to make an extra-delicious (yet easy) ‘gourmet’ salad.
2 heads of leafy greens; 1 can be a bag of spinach (1 bag of spinach and a head of Romaine or just 2 heads of Romaine)
3/4 c. Craisins
2 crisp apples
Orange juice (enough to toss apples in to prevent browning and add a little flavor)
2 oz. blue cheese or Gorgonzola
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. sugar
Combine walnuts and sugar in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly. After a few minutes, the sugar will liquify. Pay close attention; at this point stir to cover walnuts with the sugar coating. The syrup will begin to darken and will coat the nuts. When they reach a golden brown color, remove from heat. Stir occasionally as the nuts begin to cool. After a few minutes, spread candied nuts onto a greased piece of parchment or wax paper or a greased cookie sheet and allow to cool completely. Set aside.
Chop apples and toss in orange juice.
When ready to serve, toss lettuce, cranberries, walnuts, apples, and blue cheese in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing. (FYI – You may not want to toss the entire salad with the dressing if you think you will not eat all of it. The dressing will wilt any leftovers.)
Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. honey
1-2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 c. canola oil
Mix In a blender.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
looks really good Erin! Can't wait to try it after our move…!
Mmm I know I am going to LOVE this salad. Can't wait to try it!
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I love salads–this looks like a good one to add to my ever growing collection. Thanks for sharing.
LOVE. THIS. Just made it last night and added some sliced grilled steaks from the bbq on top. It was fantastic.
I agree with Melanie. I know I am going to love this salad, too. It seems perfect for summer!
Erin, I tried this last night and it was SOOOO good. THANK YOU so much!
I found your blog through Kitchen Cafe. This salad was awesome! So so so good. I had it for a dinner party and everyone loved it. I did it exactly as you have it… with half spinach and half romaine and Gorgonzola.
Thanks for a great salad recipe!
Made this salad last night for the Sterzer family party. I used feta instead of theblue cheese or gorganzola, and it was Super Good! Thanks Erin!
I made this last night for a church potluck and it was a hit! Not a leaf of lettuce left! Thanks!
Delicious! I have a salad potluck coming up Monday and am going to make this!! I hope it turns out as good as yours did. :)
Great salad, but are you reposting this from Our Best Bites? It’s exactly the same, even some of the directions.
Oh, how funny! Perhaps my friend got this salad recipe from there. It was so long ago, and I didn’t think to ask her where she got the recipe. Who knows where it originated, but if it was from ourbestbites, then a thank you to them! It’s an awesome salad!
Delicious salad. The dressing is awesome and blend of ingredients. I had to finish off the rest of the bowl after dinner. Will make again.