Green Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Well, it seems the dog days of summer have arrived….and we aren’t even into June yet!  When it’s this hot, my taste buds favor delicious, crisp salads.  Now, the salad isn’t a fabulous salad unless there is a unique and fresh tasting salad dressing, right?  I’ve come up with a very nice dressing that uses fresh blueberries, what’s not to love, right?  Paired with some nice sharp cheese and toasted walnuts…fantastic!  Serve this beautiful salad to guests, they will flip!

Green Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

12-15 oz. fresh mixed greens, gently washed and spun out (if you don’t have a salad spinner, dry with paper towels)
3-4 tablespoons crumbled feta or bleu cheese
3-4 tablespoons toasted walnuts, broken into dime size bits
(to toast, spread over cookie sheet & into a 300’ oven for 12 minutes)
½ cup or more fresh plump blueberries

For the dressing:

1 ¼ cup fresh blueberries or frozen thawed
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup honey
3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon granulated onion powder
¾ cup olive oil, first cold pressed is best

1) Assemble salad ingredients in a pretty salad bowl starting with the greens, top with goodies. If entertaining, assemble each salad on a plate and serve dressing on the side.

2) For the dressing, place all ingredients into a blender except the olive oil. Blend, while blender is going, slowly drizzle all of the olive oil into the blueberry mixture. Add a little more water if you would like a thinner consistency.  Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Whisk before using. Enjoy!