I was never much of a salad girl, but these two salads actually make me crave my greens. Oh, and that’s not all. My kids like these salads. Yup. My salad-hating green-vitamin deficient children ask for seconds.
Both have a sweet/spicy flavor to them because of the combination of fruit and dressing with a kick. One is my friend’s recipe which I begged mercilessly for, and the other is my sister’s recipe that she gave me just recently. I can’t believe she kept it a secret so long. Both women are excellent cooks, so I should have known they’d do a salad proud.
Mandarin Salad
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 Tbls. sugar
In a small pan over medium heat, cook almonds and sugar, stirring constantly until almonds are coated and the sugar is dissolved. Watch carefully – they burn easily. Let cool completely.
1/2 head iceberg lettuce
1/2 head Romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped celery
2 whole green onions, chopped
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
Mix lettuces, celery and onions. Just before serving, toss with dressing and then add almonds and oranges.
Dressing
1/2 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbls. chopped parsley
2 Tbls. sugar
2 Tbls. vinegar
dash Tabasco sauce
Mix all ingredients together and chill.
Bacon Apple Salad
1 head red leaf lettuce
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 bag Craisins
1 package shredded parmesan
1 small pkg sliced almonds (sugared, as in recipe above)
8 ounce pkg mozzarella cheese
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 gala apple, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing right before serving.
Dressing
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Blend above ingredients in a blender. Add 1 cup oil and blend again thoroughly