Salad Dreams Realized!

I've been working on a different blog for about two weeks...it just doesn't seem to want to come together...so clearly it wasn't meant to be my next blog, this is!

I have had an idea for an autumn salad in my head for months, and yes friends, this weekend I finally made it!

Mesclun with granny smith apples, toasted walnuts and raw sharp cheddar with an apple cider vinegar dressing (including a splash of olive oil and touch of pure honey) and seasoned with salt to taste.

Toasting the walnuts was really the key, it gives the salad a touch of smokiness...like fall!





The second salad was a re-creation of the salad I had on my birthday in Edinburgh! It consisted of butternut squash, mixed greens, pine nuts, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, garlic croutons and goat cheese...



I cubed the squash and steamed it until tender but still holding the cube shape, then sprinkled it with garlic salt and pepper and let it cool a bit before adding it to the other ingredients. For a dressing, I simply drizzled it with a little olive oil and white wine vinegar and a touch more salt and pepper. The sweet squash is a divine flavor amongst the greens and goat cheese...and it incorporated my favorite colors, green and orange (heart and sacral chakras).