Salads

(This post is partly for you,Shannon. I never responded to your query on your blog about favorite salads.)

I love February and March because asparagus is in season and you can find it for a good price. That is when I am most likely to make our absolutely favorite salad (which came from the Better Homes and Gardens Salad cookbook):

Ingredients:
1 pound asparagus spears
1/2 cup poppy sead or lite Italian salad dressing
1 tsp. finely grated orange peel
2 tablespoons orange juice
4-6 cups torn spinach or romaine lettuce or green leaf lettuce
1 cup sliced strawberries or blueberries
1/2 cup pecan halves or walnuts

IF DESIRED: Add 1 cup cooked, diced chicken.

Directions:
Snap off and discard the woody bases of the asparagus. Cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Cook asparagus covered in boiling water for 4-8 min. until crisp-tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Let stand in cold water. Drain again.

Mix salad dressing, orange peel and orange juice.

In salad bowl, combine spinach or lettuce, strawberries, and asparagus. Add chicken, if you want. Divide onto 2-4 plates. Drizzle dressing over each salad. Sprinkle with pecans or walnuts.

We LOVE this. I add chicken and it is our entire meal for dinner. (Although my kids prefer it separated, not mixed up.)

Alfredo's favorite salad consists of the following: iceberg lettuce shredded, tomatoes sliced, sliced radishes, sliced cucumbers, sliced onions, and a little dressing.

Yesterday I went to a friend's house and she made me the yummiest salad ever. And it had some items I would never have thought to add to a salad. I wanted to record what it had so I wouldn't forget and so I can recreate it:

Mixed greens
chopped cherry tomatoes
chopped red and orange peppers
sliced artichoke hearts (marinated in oil)
black olives sliced
sunflower seeds
garbanzo beans (chickpeas)--rinsed and drained
topped with balsamic vinaigrette

I wasn't sure about the artichoke hearts, but they added such a yummy flavor to this salad. It was SOOO good.

I have lately grown to love salads! Usually, I just take romaine or green leaf lettuce, add cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, and carrots to it and add a little dressing. But I am going to try to add more variety. After tasting Nikki's yummy salad yesterday, I will be a little more adventurous.