I love dinner salads. There are endless varieties with endless ingredients. They can be simple or complex. They can be adjusted according to preferences. They can be lightly or heavily dressed. ...You get the picture!

This salad is no exception to the rules (or lack thereof) above. The original recipe called for blue cheese. Our blue cheese disappeared somewhere between the grocery store and our house. One of life's frustrating mysteries! Rather than run out to the store, we substituted feta, which was also excellent. Anti-feta? Try goat cheese! The dressing on this salad is lightly sweet, due to the maple syrup, and would pair well with a lot of salads. Next time I make this one, I think I'll add some chopped nuts for some crunch. What other versions of this salad can you come up with?


Strawberry and Mandarin Orange Salad
adapted from Culinary Cory


Ingredients:
-1 (9 oz.) package spring mix greens
-1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
-1 can mandarin oranges, drained
-6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
-Maple Dijon Vinaigrette (below)

Maple Dijon Vinaigrette:
-3/4 cup olive oil
-1/4 cup cider vinegar
-1/4 cup maple syrup
-2 tbsp dijon mustard
-1 tbsp minced garlic
-pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Mix all vinaigrette ingredients together until well emulsified. Store in fridge until ready to serve.
2. Toss greens, strawberries, oranges, and cheese with dressing. Serve immediately.