PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION
Romaine Lettuce*
1-2 Grapefruit, sectioned**
1 Large Avocado
Sugared Walnuts (Recipe Below)***
Poppyseed Dressing (Recipe Below)
Tear leaves to one large head (or several small heads) of romaine lettuce.* Slice up a grapefruit or buy sectioned grapefruit at the grocery store and drain well. Slice avocado into small bitesize pieces. Add sugared walnuts toss with Poppyseed Dressing. This is a delicious light summer salad. Although, I find I love making this at Christmastime when Grapefruits come on the market, like oranges.
Poppyseed Dressing:
¾ C. White Wine Vinegar
¾ C. Sugar (you can try reducing the amount if you do not like it so sweet)
1 Tsp. Salt
1 ½ C. Canola Oil
1 Tbsp. Poppyseeds
Put vinegar, sugar and salt in the blender. Mix until sugar is almost dissolved. Add the oil in a small stream through the hole in the lid of the blender. Keep blending while you are adding the oil. This keeps your vinegar and oil emulsified, you know, together without separating. Add poppyseeds and mix again.
*There are two types of heads of Romaine lettuce in my book. There is the six pack you buy at Costco and the big beautiful, much darker green leaves at the grocery store. I use both. I am not sure I love one better than the other. Sometimes, it just comes down to what I am in the mood for. Sometimes, I feel like big, bushy Romaine at the grocery story. Sometimes, I am looking for convenience and buy the prewashed and ready to go lettuce at Costco.
**To section a grapefruit, cut off both ends of the fruit. Slice off the rind and all the white pulp. Now you should have just the grapefruit attached to the center rind. Slice in between the membranes of each section to loosen the grapefruit. Use these sections in your salad.
***Sugaring walnuts is not a great thing for me, so if someone finds a better recipe, I would love to have it. I have done it two ways.
Method 1:
Put 1/2 C. Sugar in a fry pan and pour in 1 C. Walnuts. Put on medium high heat and keep stirring until the sugar melts and adheres to the nuts. Slide the entire contents of the fry pan onto a plate to cool. The nuts will be all stuck together, but after they are cool, you can crack them apart.
Method 2:
Put 1/2 C. Sugar in a fry pan and add 2 Tbsp. water. Cook over medium heat until bubbling. Pour in 1 C. Walnuts. Keep on medium high heat and keep stirring until the sugar adheres to the nuts. Keep cooking until all the water evaporates. Slide the entire contents of the fry pan onto a plate to cool. The nuts will be all stuck together, but after they are cool, you can crack them apart.