Strawberries and Greens Salad

Yummy Potluck Pleaser

So there is the perpetual dilemma of what to take. Do you stop at the deli and bring your offering in one of those plastic tubs?  Do you stop and get a bucket-O'-chicken?  Do you take the time to bake Aunt Geraldine's world-famous tater-tot casserole? (The one that's delicious, but is about 9,000 calories per 1/2 cup serving?)

Do you bring a healthy alternative that no one will touch in favor of Aunt Geraldie's delicious world-famous tater-tot casserole?

Or is there another alternative?  Could you take something that is healthy, delicious, pretty, and will make people feel good even after they have eaten it?

This year, the above is going to be my stand-by.  It's delicious, easy to assemble, and it's pretty!

Topping:

• 1/2 c. chopped pecans
• 2 tbsp raw sugar.

This is the messiest bit.  Put the pecans and sugar into a skillet at a medium high temp. Roast them until the sugar melts and is nice and sticky.  Place them on parchment or waxed paper to cool.

Or save yourself the mess by simply buying some toffee roasted nuts. Trader Joe's has some coconut covered cashews that are pretty darned delicious...

The Salad:

• 8 cups mixed greens and spinach
• one or two carrots, shredded.
• 1/2 to 1 cup micro greens (sprouts)
• 1 pint sliced strawberries - or pears, or some other fruit that is in season
• 2 tbsp chopped green onions or red onions.
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 cup sliced cucumber

Arrange in a big serving bowl and cover until ready to serve.

The Dressing:

• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp raw sugar
• 3 tbsp vinegar (strawberry, fruity, or just good 'ol plain)
• 2 tbsp oil (What you like... olive oil, grape seed, whatever your current belief is about oil)
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/8 tsp salt

Combine the above in a little glass jar you've recycled for just such an occasion.  Put the lid on it and shake the dickens out of it. Put it in the fridge.

When it's dinner time, sprinkle the nuts on the top of the salad, shake the dressing and drizzle it over the top, then toss the salad and holler, "come and git it!"

Enjoy!