winter fruit salad with lemon poppyseed dressing

Well, here is a new recipe (finally!). I had hoped to post some Christmas dinner ideas, but business and several days without internet made that difficult. Oh well...

Here is a salad we brought for Christmas dinner. Yum!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup white sugar (or honey)

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 tsp. diced onion or shallot

3/4 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup canola (or other) oil

2 tsp. poppy seeds

1/2 head romaine lettuce, torn or cut into bite-sized pieces (alternately use spinach or half lettuce and half spinach)

2-3 oz. Swiss cheese, shredded

2/3 cup cashews

3 Tbsp. dried cranberries

1/2 apple (or more to taste), diced

1/2 pear (or more to taste), sliced

1. In a blender or food processor, combine sugar (or honey), lemon juice, onion, mustard, and salt. Process until well blended. With machine still running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and process just to mix.

2. In a large serving bowl, toss together the lettuce/spinach, shredded swiss cheese, cashews, dried cranberries, apple, and pear. Pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss to coat.

makes approx. 8 servings