Mixed Greens and Apple Salad

I've mentioned before that sometimes what you're seeing on the blog may not be the previous night's dinner (rarely does that ever happen). I used to be better about working on the blog every few weeks but recently it's not as frequent and the posts are somewhat sporadic and the meals may not be that recent; my apologies. This will be my New Year's Resolution!

This dinner is from October! And I remember because one of my best friends Stephanie was my sous chef that night! Stephanie was transitioning to a new job in Raleigh at the time while finishing a lease in Greensboro. We offered her our guest bedroom to spend a few nights during her transition to ease the burden of commuting. There were quite a few nights where we had some non-fancy dinners but I decided to step it up a notch one evening. On the menu was a special salad and Patrick's favorite lemon spaghetti.

This recipe is from the Pennies on a Platter blog. I subscribe to the blog and read it through Google Reader. I would estimate I follow about 25-30 blogs this way and every day about 15-20 recipes / blog posts (they don't all feature recipes) are new. Whenever I'm interested in something I will "star" the recipe and know that it's something I would like to try. This salad recipe was one of those starred recipes.

Mixed Greens and Apple Salad from Pennies on a Platter blog which was adapted from Epicurious
1/4 cup minced onion
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon paprika
3 Tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 bag (10 oz) baby spinach leaves (we used mixed greens!)
2 red-skinned apples, cored and sliced thin
1/2 lb Gouda cheese, sliced in small pieces

In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the onion, vinegars, sesame seeds and paprika. Stir in the 2 Tablespoons sugar. Gradually whisk in the olive oil then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Toss in the almonds and cook until the almonds begin to brown, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tablespoon sugar evenly over the almonds and toss until the sugar melts and begins to turn golden, about 2 more minutes. Transfer toasted almonds to a plate to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach leaves and sliced apples. Toss with just enough dressing to coat. Mix in the almonds and cheese. Serve the salad with the remaining dressing separately.

In my opinion apples always give a pleasantly surprising crunch!

Dinner for 3!

Stephanie, you can be my sous chef anytime!