I have found the dressing of all dressings!!!

I had a friend give me a bunch of broccoli recently, so I found a recipe for a salad last week and went to the store to by a few things for it.  The salad and especially the simple dressing was SO good.  I couldn’t get enough.  Because I had extra goat cheese and cranberries, over the next few days I tried a couple more salads with some of the leftover ingredients…

The first one (bottom right) I got from Love and Lemons, which is a Roasted Broccoli, Goat Cheese and Cranberry Salad.  Salad numero dos (the bottom left) is a salad I threw together inspired by a salad I had at the Silly Goose last weekend – it’s a Caramelized Butternut Squash, Apple and Quinoa Salad, and salad number 3 – on the top is a Grilled Peach and Goat Cheese Salad (inspired by the Love and Lemons blog as well).  All of these are SO good, so fresh, and the dressing is super simple and super yummy.

The Dressing – Apple Cider & Honey Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Salad #1 – Roasted Brocoli and Cranberry Salad

INGREDIENTS:

4 or so cups of lettuce (1 small head)
2 cups broccoli flourettes (plus olive oil, salt & pepper for roasting)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup goat cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts – I toasted mine
*optional: a protein of your choice: shrimp, chickpeas, tofu, chicken

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 450. Place broccoli flourettes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until dark brown. (20 minutes or so).
2. Make the dressing while you wait. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat honey and vinegar until warm. Turn off heat and whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Toast pine nuts in a small skillet for just a couple of minutes until golden brown. Set aside
4. Assemble salad components. Toss salad with as much or little dressing as you like.

Salad #2 – Caramelized Butternut Squash, Apple and Quinoa Salad

INGREDIENTS

2-3 cups of lettuce or spinach
1-2 packs of Trader Joe’s butternut squash
1 cup of quinoa cooked
1/2 apple sliced
1/4 cup of goat cheese
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
Chicken (optional)

METHOD 

1. Caramelize the butternut squash.  I did this by laying out the squash on a baking pan with a bit of I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and a dash of salt and pepper. Make sure the squash is covered.  Roast at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until the squash is soft and caramelized.
2. While the squash is caramelizing, cut the apple, toast the pine nuts, and prepare the quinoa. Place the lettuce in a bowl and prepare your dressing.
3. Once the squash is done, let everything cool a bit – pine nuts, squash and quinoa.  Place the quinoa on top of the lettuce followed by the squash, chicken, apple, cheese and nuts.
4. Cover with dressing and toss well.

Salad #3 – Grilled Peach and Goat Cheese Salad

INGREDIENTS:

Lettuce – any kind of greens
1/4 cup of pine nuts roasted
1/4 cup of goat cheese
4 peaches cut in fourths – make sure they are ripe!

METHOD:

1. Heat the grill.
2. Toast your pine nuts and prepare the greens in a bowl.
3. Once the grill is ready – sear the peaches just until they get a nice sear to them.
4. Place the grilled peaches on top of the greens.
5. Top with the toasted pine nuts and goat cheese.
5. Cover in dressing and mix!