Strawberry Orange Spinach Salad

Christmas is so close  now, which you'll notice if you stop in just about any store and are quickly trampled by frantic shoppers. I know it's a busy time of year, but I try to be laid back about it. As in past years, I've started out in the summer with a special gift selected at a flea market or on sale with the best intentions of being long done with my Christmas shopping by November. And every year, I frantically end up finishing my shopping a few days before hand. One thing about the holidays that's both a blessing and a curse is the food. Everywhere you look there is a plateful of treats from a thoughtful friend, a tray of snacks at work staring you down all day with happy Christmas treat eyelashes batting  "Eat me, I'm full of wonder!"  The reality of the situation is that you'd better ask Ole' St. Nick for elastic waist pants if you don't keep things in check. 

I have been trying to keep all my Holiday contributions this year as healthy as I can muster. One addition to a meal that's always welcome is a big colorful salad. Nothing is more underwhelming than the typical crappy restaurant salad. A circle of flavorless ice-burg with a teaspoon of shredded carrots on top, and if you're lucky an onion ring or cucumber slice. Salads can go from simple to stunning so easily, it's really a travesty to have a bland one. I made this gorgeous salad this weekend to console our spirits after an entire week of below zero temps and stinging winds. Yes,  it has come to my attention I  live in the North. It also has not escaped my notice that it's winter. But we're allowed an adjustment period too, by George!

Strawberry Orange Spinach Salad 

Per bowl:

-1 cup spinach 

-1 mandarin orange, segmented

-2 strawberries

- 1/4 cup honey roasted almonds

-2 T. feta (I used goat feta, and it was divine!)

-1 T. Raspberry Vinaigrette

-1 t. olive oil

-pinch of salt if desired

Directions: Administer ingredients into bowls and add dressing when serving .

Colorful and lively, these salads were a sweet treat for a cold winter day. 

I served them with trout and a homemade  mango salsa and a spicy butternut squash soup. It was a bit of a mish-mash of dishes, but it was a fun and eclectic combination that got our minds off of snow-shoveling for an hour or so.  I love goat feta, and if you've never tried it I encourage you to do so. It's soft and mild, unlike it's salty cousin cow's milk feta, and can be found in the cheese section of most grocery stores. Enjoy!