Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Green Salad with Berries

I'm not one to crave veggies. In fact, I think I went about 15 years without eating one in my younger years, but I'm repenting, slowly! Knowing that, I try very hard to eat a salad every night with dinner. Most nights we have the same (or very close) salad and here it is.
*4 leaves red-leaf lettuce (washed, dried and torn) or a couple cups of spinach
*3/4 c. dried berries (Sunsweet makes an antioxidant blend with cherries, blueberries, cranberries that I love - look for it at Costco)
*1/3 c. nuts (sunflower, almond, walnut, whatever you have)
*Parmesan cheese
*Balsamic dressing (see below)

Combine lettuce, berries, nuts and cheese. Top with a small amount of dressing just before serving.

Balsamic Dressing
*2 c. balsamic vinegar
*2 TBSP. brown sugar
*Salt and pepper
In a small sauce pan, simmer balsamic vinegar over medium heat until reduced by 1/4 volume. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar until dissolved. Season with salt and pepper. I store this in a glass jar with a lid refrigerated for up to a couple months. I generally make a big batch because the house will smell like vinegar for a day or so.