Winter Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

I miss the abundance of a summer garden. I love salad but sometimes I find it hard to be inspired in the middle of winter when fresh produce is hard to come by. Recently I made this green salad with dried fruits and a maple vinaigrette. Winter Salad with Maple Vinaigrette is just my kind of winter salad, simple and delicious!

Winter Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Ingredients for Vinaigrette:

1½  cup olive oil
6 Tbsp maple syrup
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions for Vinaigrette:

Combine the olive oil in a small bowl. Add the maple syrup and vinegar and stir with a whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ingredients for Salad:

1 head green lettuce, washed, dried and torn into bite size pieces
1 head red leaf lettuce, washed, dried and torn into bite size pieces
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup dried apricots, slivered
½ cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Directions for Salad:

Toss all the ingredients together in a large salad bowl or arrange each salad on a plate. Add vinaigrette and serve.

Serves 8

Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you have to give up eating salad. Use apples, dried fruit and nuts to make an ordinary salad extraordinary.