I recently had a super delish salad at The Cheesecake Factory called French Country Salad. It blew my mind. And so I had to make it at home. And I can not wait to eat it again.
FRENCH COUNTRY SALAD
*mixed greens
*skinny asparagus, grilled or lighly steamed (still want some crunch!)
*beets, boiled and cut into small cubes
*chevre (goat cheese)
*candied walnuts or pecans
*balsamic vinaigrette
BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
(a variation on Emeril Lagasse's, which is my favorite!)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 clove garlic
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup + a tiny bit more oilve oil
Combine all ingredients in a pint jar or a cruet and shake like crazy until all combined. Keep the extra in the fridge.
Toss the greens with the dressing and transfer to serving bowl or board. Add the veggies and cheese around. Give a good couple grinds of black pepper on top. Serve with grilled chicken breast, crusty baguette and some sparkling water. A PERFECTLY HEAVENLY meal for lunch or dinner in my book.
P.S. My beets were red when I started boiling them. By the time they were done they were white. What the? That has never happened before -- I guess they were a different variety or something? Anyway, that's what those pink-ish chunks are. :)
you've totally inspired me. i've been slipping from the super healthy eater i was and started letting more and more junk into our diets. it's time for me to climb back up and do the right thing! ryan's gone for the rest of the week so I'm going to take this time to read up, collect recipes and re-motivate myself. this blog is going to help me so much! thanks! and i can't wait to see what you come up with next!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous salad!!
ReplyDeleteI attempted crackers today...made homemade wheat thins! And they weren't too shabby :)
looks sooo good, asparagus and beets are 2 of my favorites. Did those "special" beets taste any different? I'll be making this over the weekend, thanks for posting it! I'm excited to try a new dressing. I've been in the habit of making my two favorites and haven't tried anything new in a long time.
ReplyDeleteMiriam, yay!
ReplyDeleteMel, I have been wanting to make crackers! First on my list are grahams. Yum!
Angie, asparagus and beets are my fav veggies! No, the beets tasted just like beets. I don't know where all of their color went! The water was even less red than usual when I drained it. I'm stumped. That balsamic dressing is my absolute favorite! Try it for sure!
Oh goodness, this looks phenomenal. And since I have almost all the veggies in my fridge, AND sparkling water, it's a sign that this must be made soon. Yum! (And that was ood with the beets...I've never head of that happening. I always buy the golden beets though, then I don't have to worry about staining stuff. And they're yummy.)
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get skinny asparagus? From a farmers market?
ReplyDeleteYep, at the farmers market! Skinny asparagus everywhere!
ReplyDeleteI have to confess I recently made this salad...WOW WOW WOW!! So filling and SO delish!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this recipe :)
I just wanted to pop in to say I made your salad this weekend and it was AWESOME! Thanks so much for sharing. It is a new favorite!
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