submitted by Janie Holland
estimated preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• butter lettuce or hearts of romaine
• strawberries
• mandarian oranges
• almonds or walnuts (or both)
• bleu cheese crumbles
• pinch of fresh cilantro (optional)
• raisins or crasins (optional)
• sesame vingarette

Directions:

1. combine everything in a bowl and top
   with dressing. You can make it as big or as small as you want.
   Enjoy!

(adapted from Bon Apétit 1996)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 pound bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 sesame seeds
• 1 large bag baby spinach
• 2 Rio Star grapefruits, peel and pith cut away and sections cut free from membranes

Directions:

1. In a bowl whisk together vinegar, honey, and mustard and add oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.
2. In a large heavy skillet cook onion and bacon over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is pale golden and bacon is browned. Add sesame seeds and cook, stirring, until pale golden.
3. In a large serving bowl toss together spinach, grapefruit sections, and bacon mixture. Add about half of dressing and toss to combine, adding more dressing if desired.

Ingredients:

• 1 head romaine, washed, spun dry and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium-size lemon, washed and sliced very, very thin
• 3/4 cup walnut halves, lightly toasted
• 3/4 cup gorgonzola or bleu cheese bits

Directions:

1. Mix all the above in salad bowl and drizzle with good olive oil.
2. Toss again. (You may add more nuts and cheese if desired.)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 medium or large cucumbers
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• Dash of garlic powder
• 1/2 cup water
• Sweet paprika
• Black pepper

Directions:

1. Peel the cucumbers and slice them very thin. Sprinkle with salt and let stand for 30-60 minutes with a plate and a 5-pound weight on top. Squeeze out the water on a paper towel.
2. Combine the sugar, vinegar, garlic powder, and water. Add the cucumbers and marinate for a few hours. To serve, sprinkle paprika on half of the salad and black pepper on the other half.

Note: Instead of garlic powder, a thinly sliced onion may be used.