Apple Balsamic Salad

Being single makes cooking a bit tedious at times.  Don't get me wrong, I love leftovers for one meal, I just dont like eating them for a week straight. So Camille Funk, who lives in my neighborhood, came up with this fun idea for a cookbook called Table For One, where all the recipes are made for one portion size.  There are lots of fabulous looking recipes in there, however, the only one I have tried is this Apple Balsamic Salad.  I cant say enough good things about it.  I did add a few more things the second time I made this, like cucumbers and green onions, and I used baby portobellos which i prefer.  But its a easy recipe and the dressing is rather tasty.  Sometimes I make the dressing sugar free by using Agave Maple flavored syrup.  I made this with the butternut squash soup.  It was a very tasty meal!

Apple Balsamic Salad

Salad

1 ½ Tbsp. toasted pine nuts

1 strip of bacon

2 handfuls red leaf romaine lettace

¼ c. Mushrooms, chopped

¼ cup granny smith apples, chopped

2 Tbsp. Grapes, chopped

2 Tbsp. canned beets, chopped

2. Tbsp feta cheese (but I used chevere cheese)

Dressing

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. maple syrup or brown sugar

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Dash of salt and pepper

1.       Place pine nuts on a small baking sheet and broil for 1-2 min on each side, until toasted.

2.       Cook bacon in a small skillet until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and let            cool.  Pat down bacon with paper towel to remove excess grease. Crumble.

3.       Toss together contents of salad in a medium bowl or on a plate.

4.       Mix contents of vinaigrette in a small cup. Stir well and toss with salad.

Camille Funk

Table For One