Red Leaf Lettuce Salad With Raspberry Vinaigrette…..

Many years ago I was invited to my good friend Lori’s for dinner and she served this amazingly delicious salad.    The flavor combination was fantastic.  You have tender red lettuce, rich and savory pine nuts, crunch from the onions and creaminess from the feta or bleu cheese.  The best part?  The dressing.  This is my all time favorite salad dressing.

I think the key ingredient here is maple syrup.  It adds the most unique sweetness to the dressing.    I like to mix it simply in a jar with a lid, give it a shake and pour.  Then right into the refrigerator for next time.    It’ll keep for weeks refrigerated.

Lori used Boston red leaf lettuce, crumbled feta, toasted pine nuts and thinly sliced red onion.  I prefer bleu cheese so I used it instead of feta.  I can’t always find Boston red leaf lettuce so I use red leaf lettuce.  Both are tender and very good.  Top with some grilled chicken and you’ve got an amazing entree salad.  It would be awesome with mixed greens and goat cheese as well, endless possibilities!

Raspberry Vinaigrette

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons dried tarragon, rubbed between your fingers to release the flavor
2 pinches of salt
1 pinch of pepper

For the salad

6-8 cups Boston red leaf lettuce or regular red leaf lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
4 ounces crumbled bleu or feta cheese
Toasted pine nuts
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1)  Put all of the dressing ingredients together in a medium size jar and shake.
2)  Assemble the salad and add the dressing sparingly, a little goes a long way.  Toss gently and serve.  Makes 4 generous servings.

Thank you Lori for sharing your recipe all those years ago!!

Angie