Foodie Friday: Cranberry, walnut, poppyseed salad

Are you tired of the same old tossed salads with non nutrient rich iceberg lettuce? If so, you've gotta try this!! As most of my friends know, Ken & I frequent our local deli. I usually get the chicken, cranberry, walnut poppyseed wrap. Oh, folks, I'm telling you...it's delish. Ken dared me to change it up one day so I had the sandwich in salad form at the deli. Holy taste bud bliss!! I'm sorry Ranch Dressing, but you have been replaced!!

I'm not going to run to the deli each time I want a salad. I eat at least 1 salad per day and it's so doable to make it at home. In fact, you're kinda nuts to go out an purchase salads when they can be made inexpensively right at home. We don't purchase the bagged crud either...unless it's on a really good sale. Instead, we purchase a nice head of romaine, some spinach (which when out of season comes in a bag) a head of iceberg (yeah the nutrient-less stuff), carrots, you name it. It all gets tossed in a big honkan bowl & put in the fridge.

So, back to this particular salad...you can cut everything up and put it in a bowl or cut as you need. I like having the leafy greens cut up and in a bowl readily accessible.

You'll need:

Spinach
romaine
iceberg lettuce, or green leaf lettuce is fab too
dried cranberries (referred to as Craisens. They can be found in the same aisle as chocolate chips...by the nuts)
halved or chopped walnuts
Cucumbers
Poppyseed dressing (I use Kraft)
Cesar croutons

It's pretty self explanatory how to make a salad. Cut up the greens, cukes, sprinkle with a handful of dried cranberries, walnuts, and croutons. Add a bit of poppyseed dressing....then escape to taste bud bliss. The deli puts tomatoes and chicken salad on theirs. I despise raw tomatoes with a passion and just haven't made chicken salad to add to mine. Remember, I'm on a quest to lose 50lbs.

This salad is especially tasty while sitting on the patio outside in the sunshine, as your clothes dry on the line. It is also delish while sitting in your jammies, curled up on the recliner. =)