Recipes: Green Salad with Orange Vinaigrette AND Spinach, Fruit and Poppy Seed Salad (gluten free)

There was a lot of chopping, assembling and tossing involved in making salad for 75 women, but I was up for the challenge and enjoyed making these two salads for the church event. I additionally made a Caeser Salad which is not pictured here. My Caeser salad is nothing more than romaine lettuce, Girard's Lite Caeser salad dressing, medium whole olives and shredded parmesan cheese. It's simple and delicious. Below are the other two salads I made. The recipes I'm providing serve four.

Green Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

1/2 c. candied pecans or walnuts
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T orange juice
1 T honey
1 t. orange zest
1 t. dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2-3 cups romaine lettuce or mixed salad greens
1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges
1 cup red grapes, halved
1/2 c. chopped red onions (optional)

For dressing, combine vinegar, orange juice, honey, orange zest, mustard, salt and pepper with a whisk. Slowly whisk in oil. For salad, wash and chop or tear romaine lettuce into bite size pieces. Combine lettuce with mandarin oranges, grapes, nuts and onions (optional). Toss with the dressing until all the leaves are just coated. Be careful not to drown it in dressing.

                                                Spinach, Fruit and Poppy Seed Salad

1 pkg spinach or baby spinach (about 8 oz)
1 contanier strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 apples, diced
1 medium cucumber, cut in half and sliced
craisins (dried cranberries)
1/2 c. slivered almonds
Brianne's Poppy Seed Dressing

Put the greens into a large bowl. Add all of the sliced and diced fruit. Pour in dressing a little at a time until all leaves are coated well. Sprinkle the salad with almonds. Enjoy!