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Our Favorite Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

This hearty salad goes with just about any main dish you could dream of adding dark leafy greens and flavor. Triple the dressing recipe and use leftover vinaigrette on grain or bean salads for lunchboxes.

Dressing:
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of sea salt
Salad:
4-5 cups mixed salad greens
1/3 cup Sweet Glazed Nuts
1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese
½ cup seedless red grapes, halved
Freshly ground black pepper

Place all dressing ingredients except oil in a large salad bowl and stir to mix.  Add oil a little at a time whisking it into the other ingredients so that it incorporates nicely.  
Wash salad greens by placing leaves in a sink full of cold water.  Drain and repeat.  Spin or pat dry.  Place in a large salad bowl.  Add glazed nuts, cheese and grapes to greens.  Add a few grinds of black pepper.  Dress and toss salad just before serving.  

Preparation: 10 minutes
Makes 6 servings, 1/3 cup dressing

6 Comments:

Amir H.
Neat.
October 21, 2008, 3:42 pm

Joan Tucker
Instead of dinner and a movie you could feature sex and a salad. woo ho!!! Keep up the fabbo recipes.
October 21, 2008, 4:39 pm

Susan Trimpe
I saw this recipe on Cookus Interruptus and had to try it. It looked great, and easy. It turned out to be even better and easier than I thought. It's definitely a keeper — my new favorite halibut recipe. Thank you Cookus Interuptus! Susan
October 22, 2008, 10:52 am

Sarah Van Alstyne
What a fun way to learn a new recipe! Very entertaining and good recipes. I enjoyed meeting you at Brian's party!
October 25, 2008, 6:58 pm

Rhonda Atwood
I served this salad to my son and daughter-in-law with a pot roast with many vegetables, and they declared it the bomb. My personal favorite, though, is a variation...spinach, Granny Smith apples,sweet glazed nuts, and blue cheese. My favorite dressing with this is a raspberry vinagrette that I buy bottled at the grocery, but it's got a lot of artificial stuff in it. Do you have a recipe for a sweet dressing I can make at home? Thanks for all your lovely recipes.
March 28, 2009, 11:56 am

Cynthia Lair
Rhonda, This basic vinaigrette recipe is pretty flexible. I have made it more savory by adding basil and garlic and also more sweet by adding orange juice and zest. For a raspberry vinaigrette, make this dressing in the blender as written and add 1/3 cup frozen or fresh raspberries to the mix. The raspberries will give the dressing the sweetness you're looking for. If needed, add a little more maple syrup or honey (depends on how sweet your raspberries are!).
April 9, 2009, 4:07 pm

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