I Miss My Salad

Yes, you read that right.  I miss my salad.

If you’re new to Crafting Crazy you should know that I’m currently a breastfeeding mommy.  Emily is currently 6 months old, and she has now earned the title “longest breastfed baby” of my 3.  It’s going really well and I love it, but teeth are on the horizon.  Teeth change everything for me in the world of breastfeeding, but that’s an entirely different post.  Back to why I miss my salad.

This is my salad:

Doesn’t it look AMAZING?  It is.  It’s sooooo delicious!  It’s my go-to salad.  My, “I think I’ll have an adult lunch today” salad.  My, “DAMN.  This is good!” salad.

Why do I miss it?  I can’t eat it right now. Why?  Because every time I do, it makes this little miss….

very unhappy in the tummy department.  And we’re not talking just a few toots and hollers, folks- she screams in pain every time I eat it.  Boo.  I haven’t had it for at least 2 months, and I think I will have to wait to have it again for a while- maybe once she’s on more solids we’ll try.  The sacrifices we make as mothers….

What’s in it?   Well, like most salads, it’s a bit different every time, but I’ll give you the basics and then you can add your own spin.

I use baby spinach as the base.  I LOVE spinach.  It’s my favorite leafy green.  In the photos on this post I think we were getting rid of some other salad mix so it’s romaine that you see up there, but spinach is my fave.

Add to that:

• chopped apple (I’m a big fan of the Fuji these days)
• roasted almonds (or unroasted if that’s how you roll), or toasted pine nuts if you want to get fancy
• cranberries
• grape tomatoes (I like them better than cherry- they are sweeter and smaller- no slicing)
• avocado
• shredded carrot or baby carrots
• crumbled coat cheese (my husband likes crumbled blue cheese- bleh)
• cooked chicken or other meat if you need some protein in there- you could even add tofu

And then, there’s the piece de resistance:  my honey-dijon-balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below).

I put the salad in the bowl, I sprinkle everything else on in the quantity that I want (I probably put on wayyyy to much goat cheese because….well, it’s goat cheese), and then drizzle on the dressing.  This salad does not mix well in a big bowl- the toppings are too heavy and they all sink to the bottom.  So, if you make this for a dinner party or something (it’s always a big hit) I usually do a “make your own” and let people build their own salad.  It looks prettier and everyone gets what they want.

The dressing:

• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (I use Trader Joe’s)
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• dash of pepper
• *bloob of honey

Combine all of the ingredients and whisk until combined.  If it sits for a while before you use it you’ll need to whisk it up again.

*What’s a bloob ?  Depends on how much sweetness you want.  I usually hold the honey over the measuring cup and squeeze while I count to 5.  Then I taste and add some more.  I could say “honey to taste” but I think bloob sounds more fun.  Almost like boob, but not.

Let me know if you make this- it’s awesome!  And one more shot: