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This delicious salad, adapted from a recipe by Purse
Alerts! subscriber Bobbie of Fairfax, Virginia, is as
beautiful on a buffet spread as it is on the dinner table.
The colorful cranberries, clumps of bright white feta
cheese, and deep green romaine lettuce (or
spinach) leaves make a perfect holiday offering.
Recipe serves six.
Ingredients: Three heads organic romaine lettuce 1 cup dried cranberries 2 navel oranges (organic if available) � lb (or more) feta cheese (my kids love feta, so I add extra) 1 cup pecan or walnut pieces and halves balsamic vinegar (organic) extra virgin olive oil (organic) salt, fresh ground pepper Preparation (20 mins.): � Discard lettuce cores; chop lettuce stalks into bite- size pieces; wash and drain or spin in salad spinner to remove excess moisture � Toast nuts in heavy-duty skillet (cast iron works well) about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so they get crisp but don't burn � Trim rind from oranges with a sharp paring knife; cut each orange into eighths (or smaller pieces, if you prefer) � Break feta into small chunks if you want to fully taste the cheese, or crumbles if you enjoy a more subtle flavor Assemble (5 mins): � Use a bowl that is more wide than deep so you can display all of the salad ingredients. � Fill the bowl with the lettuce; mix in the oranges. � Working in concentric circles from outside in, make a ring with the cranberries, then the feta cheese, then the nuts. (Alternatively, just mix the lettuce, oranges, and cranberries together; scatter the nuts and cheese on top.) Serve the salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and olive oil on the side, letting guests add as much as they wish. (Variations: the original recipe called for canned mandarin oranges in place of organic navel oranges, bottled Ken's balsamic dressing in place of organic balsamic vinegar and olive oil, packaged candied almond slivers in place of fresh pecans or walnuts, and Craisins (sweetened dried cranberries) in place of natural dried cranberries. You can also use spinach, as shown in the photo from Kalyn's Kitchen, rather than romaine lettuce.) Happy holidays! |
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You can find more environmentally-
friendly
shopping
ideas at the Shop Green Here pages
of
www.biggreenpurse.com
Talk to you again soon,
Diane MacEachern
Big Green Purse
email:
[email protected]
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