KT Tunstall ~ Another Place To Fall
Joan Jett ~ Bad Time
Janiva Magness ~ Walkin' In The Sun
Sinatra ~ What Now My Love
Bach: Suite For Cello Soto #1 in G. Prelude
Zac Brown Band ~ Free/ Into The Mystic
Shelby Lynne ~ Go With It
Jones & Holland ~ End Of The Road
Tina Dico ~ Poetess' Play
Bon Jovi ~ Born To Be My Baby
Sade ~ Smooth Operator
Thunder ~ You'll Still Need A Friend
The Eagles ~ I Love To Watch A Woman Dance
Foo Fighters ~ New Way Home
I've had a busy few days and finally I have sat down and the world has stopped spinning. Today I've had the pleasure of family time with my sister and her little ones. The cheeky little monkeys are growing up so fast and today little Noo looked very grown up with her sports outfit and her new hairdo...lol Fitness trainer in the making...or a ballerina...or mechanic...or warrior princess. She hasn't quite made up her mind yet. lol. She had a great time on my exercise bike today but even better time 'training' her sister, brother, Mummy and ML on it. "Just to make sure it works for you Auntie R...when you are well enough..."
Yesterday we spoilt ourselves with an afternoon movie and went to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug...and I really loved it. It kept me entertained the entire time which is new because usually I find myself drifting off during the Tolkeinfests. But it was great to escape into the dark movie theatre... Right onto the very excellent salad recipe.
Festive foods, that turn out to be so good...you know that you'll be eating them all year round. lol. That is exactly what happened with this salad. I chose the recipe just before Christmas from a recipe site and sadly again it's the work of the busy recipe creator...Anon. Grrrr! Anyway...lol. It intrigued me as I love the fresh crunch of an apple in a salad and I am always looking for new ways to eat green leafys so the baby spinach was another selection factor. I'm not usually one for dressing my salads because I have the whole 'oil' phobia but this dressing intrigued me because of the vinegar, oil and maple ratio.
I served this salad as my starter course on Christmas Day and it smelt so good whilst I was putting it together that, as I plated it up my stomach was rumbling. From the first mouthful I was in food heaven...the freshness of the greens and cucumber...the crunch of the apple...the soft crunch of the pecans...and pulling it all together was the beautiful dressing. There was a hint of sharpness from the vinegar, a tang from the oil but the maple blended through them both and gave a slight sweetness. This salad was so good...I loved every part of it. And although I chose it for the festive menu...I can feel the beautiful spring lunches in the crisp apples...where it will perfect to eat...the cooling summer lunches in the cucumber...the warming autumnal lunches in the maple dressing. It is most definitely an all rounder...
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| Apple, Pecan, Baby Spinach Salad with Maple & Balsamic Dressing |
Apple, Pecan, Baby Spinach Salad with Maple & Balsamic Dressing Serves 1
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 small Gala apple, cored and chopped
1/3 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup pecans
2 tbsp sunflowers seeds
2-3 tbsp Maple-Balsamic Dressing
Dressing:
3 1/2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp pure Maple Syrup
2 1/2 tbsp sunflower oil
Makes 1/2 cup
Place all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until emulsified. Place the salad into a bowl and pour over the dressing and toss well to coat. Then arrange on a plate or eat straight from the bowl..lol.
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Saturday has been a great one...
~Red~
NB: This recipe is not my own and therefore I take no credit for its creation. But thank you to whoever did...~R~
