Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Sort-of-Dorf Salad (Healthy!)

I love a good Waldorf salad.
I needed a salad to go with the broiled chicken and wild mushroom risotto I made the other night, and a Waldorf salad seemed to be a perfect match.

Hmm, what would I need?
Apples... don't have any.
Walnuts... severely allergic.
Raspberry Jam, YE-, uh, no... no raspberry jam

I had to be resourceful, and the results were phenomenal. I liked this salad better than any Waldorf I've ever had. It was fresh tasting, not too sweet, and complimented my savory dinner perfectly.

Sort-of-Dorf Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette

For the Vinaigrette:
1 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar
2 tsp. Apricot Preserves
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1) Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl.
**You can finagle this to suit your own taste. If you think it's too sweet, add a little more mustard. If you think it's too vinegary, add a little more olive oil.

For the Salad:

I used Olivia's Organic mixed greens (which includes: spinach, frisee, radicchio, arugula, and lettuce).

Add: 1/4 cup Shelled Sunflower Seeds (toasted)
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries

Dress and toss with Apricot Vinaigrette to taste.



The sunflower seeds give it a little crunch and a subtle nutty flavor. The dried cranberries are a really nice substitute for apple, because they're sweet and a little sour. The apricot vinaigrette is actually less sweet than a raspberry vinaigrette and has a nice fresh flavor that compliments the rest of the salad nicely.

I'm sure this salad will have a permanent place in my kitchen.