Cranberry-Avocado Salad with Candied Spiced Almonds and Sweet White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Once you try this delicious salad you'll find yourself craving it again and again! It's bright, fresh and beyond versatile .....................

It's perfect for a quick lunch, a fancy brunch, a lovely side salad or a complete meal with chicken, shrimp or pork tenderloin piled on top. You can add goat cheese, blue cheese or any other fun cheese that strikes your fancy. It's wonderful with spinach, Romaine, field greens, Bibb lettuce, arugula ................ did I miss your favorite? Well, it's great with that too! Feel free to change out the nut also - don't have any almonds? Candied Spiced Pecans would be a fabulous switcheroo!

For Christmas, you could add a sprinkle of crimson pomegranate seeds or how about a scatter of blood orange or ruby red grapefruit wedges? Slivers of mango are beautiful as well as grape halves or sliced crisp apples or pears. Are you starting to get the picture? It's another Little Black Dress Recipe! Totally adaptable, simple or elegant, dress it up or down depending on the occasion. I keep a jar in the fridge so we can have a delicious salad on the spur of the moment with whatever's in season and/or whatever's  stashed in my fruit/veggie bins!

The recipe below is for my Cranberry-Avocado Salad with Candied Spiced Almonds and Sweet White Balsamic Vinaigrette (the almonds from yesterday's post) but feel free to have fun and adapt according to your tastes, whims, cravings, pantry and budget!

P.S. Be sure to check back tomorrow for Day 3 of the "Must-Have Recipes" - a fabulous quiche recipe that's wonderful to pair with this salad - or for that matter, any salad!

Cranberry-Avocado Salad with Candied Spiced Almonds and Sweet White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients for the dressing:

⅓ cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
1 ½ tablespoons sesame seeds
½ teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried mustard
1 tablespoon minced sweet onion
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup white balsamic vinegar
⅓ cup vegetable oii
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients for the salad:
12 ounces baby spinach, arugula, field greens

1 small bunch cilantro, washed and dried, leaves removed whole from stems
2 medium avocados, peeled and halved
¾ cup dried cranberries
¾ cup Candied Spiced Almonds

Directions:
1. For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a pint sized glass jar and shake well to dissolve sugar.

2. For the salad, place greens and cilantro leaves in a large bowl. Add avocado and dried cranberries and about 1/4 cup of the dressing and toss gently. Scatter candied almonds over salad and sprinkle lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pass extra dressing at the table.

6 dinner size salads, 8 side salads

PRINTABLE RECIPE