Annie Mariel’s Composed Salad

I firmly believe that God or the Universe, however you prefer to say it, puts the right people in our path for us to learn and grow… And Annie Mariel has been a real blessing in my life. It’s as if God, in his all-knowingness, understands and knows exactly the type of person you need in your life at a certain time in your life.

We got along almost immediately since we met each other about 5 yrs ago in a conversational French class. We have lots of things in common – we’re both consultants, we both enjoy anything French, we both enjoy to travel, we follow yoga and spiritual practices, we are both vegetarians… bueno, almost vegetarians because Annie Mariel still eats seafood and shellfish on occasion. But she gets my idiosyncrasies of being vegetarian. She has passed on to me her love of running and we even applied to run the Amazing Race together… (oh boy!!!)

Annie Mariel is a great supporter and fan of KarmaFree Cooking… and for my last supper of 2012 she wanted to contribute by bringing a salad. She knew I was going to cook pasta. She asked me to make it as light as possible, so I pleased her by making the sauce all tomato, instead of mixing it with some cream or half and half, like I like to do on other recipes. She told me she would surprise me with the salad… and that she did.

This salad had a little bit of everything… and it was delicious! I asked Annie Mariel if I could feature her salad in KarmaFree Cooking and she agreed. I hope I make her proud. Try it for yourself…

ANNIE MARIEL’S COMPOSED SALAD

Baby Spinach

Arugula

Grape Tomatoes

Sliced Red Onions

Avocado

Crumbled Blue Cheese

Toasted Almond Slices

Dried Cranberries

Crispy Fried Onions

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

1. In a large bowl add all the ingredients. Toss lightly to combine
2. Dress the salad with vinaigrette.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup extra virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Sal and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1. Place all the ingredients in a empty glass or mason jar. Shake well to combine. Let rest for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to combine well.
2. Serve on top of your favorite salad.

Tags: almond, arugula, avocado, baby spinach, balsamic vinegar, blue cheese, cranberries, food, onion, savory, tomato, vegetarian