Oct 17 2008
California Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette
I love salad, and I think it goes with every occasion. Eat it as a side or as an entrée. Kids need to get more greens in their diets, and a delicious salad is the way to do it. Salads are simple to make and they only take a few minutes.
I love balsamic vinaigrette, but I haven’t been able to find one good bottle that I like on the market. Once when I was in Salt Lake City with my family, we found this amazing balsamic dressing. It was SO good, but I couldn’t find it anywhere else. So I decided to make my own. It’s quick and easy to make, and there are no special ingredients you have to go buy.
I top the salad with goat cheese. You can buy the crumbles at your local grocery store or a block of hard goat cheese that you can shred over the salad. You can substitute goat cheese for other cheeses, such as blue cheese or Parmesan.
Let your kids go wild with shredding the lettuce and sprinkling on the cheese. To turn this dish into an entree, top it off with sauteed chicken breast or even salmon.
As with my other recipes, you can omit or add ingredients, according to your tastes. I prefer agave nectar over honey. It gives the dressing a little sweetness.
California Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the dressing:
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon of agave nectar (or honey)
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves of finely chopped fresh garlic
For the salad:
Lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
Spinach leaves
Cherry or grape tomatoes
Fresh strawberries, sliced
Goat cheese crumbles (or goat cheese shavings)
Directions
First, make the dressing. Combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, agave nectar, garlic, and sea salt. Mix well. Add a pinch of ground black pepper and mix. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, spinach leaves, cherry or grape tomatoes, and sliced strawberries. Sprinkle the goat cheese crumbles (or shavings) evenly over the top.
Drizzle the dressing on top. You can let one of your kids toss the salad and dressing together. Enjoy as a side dish!
