Who Doesn't Love a Cutie?

One of the tried and true techniques to surviving a holiday party without losing control of what goes in your mouth is to bring a least one healthy item. That way, you know that there will be that one healthy item for you to snack on.

I have one request of you and that healthy item--please don't bring the veggie tray you find in the grocery store with the plastic film over it secured with a cup of ranch dressing! You know the one-it sits there, sad and lonely, with the dressing congealing over while the carrots develop that weird, white film over them. Instead, I have a new holiday treat for you to bring! This one will be the center of the table and there will be none leftover...I promise!

Behold the Blackberry and Cutie Orange Salad!

Blackberry & Cutie Orange Salad

1-2 bags romaine lettuce-can use any lettuce you would like to-except head lettuce!

1-2 bunches green onion chopped (use green and white parts)

Cuties or Clementines - as many as you desire! Peel and then cut the entire clementine in half and the pieces will all be 1/2 sections.(can also use mandarin oranges)

Blackberries - as many as you desire! Feel free to cut in half, or don't!

Small cubes of cheese-I like an aged cheddar or a Spanish Manchego and instead of cubing, I used a microplane zester to give the salad a bit of a different look

Almonds-chopped (can be sugared or sweetened, but plain almonds are just fine, too!)

Dressing: (This is a great, all purpose dressing to keep in the fridge for any salad)

1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

1 TBSP Balsamic vinegar

1 TBSP Apple cider vinegar

2 TBSP sugar-I used 1 1/2 TBSP.

1/2 teaspoon salt

As many of us know, the best recipes come from others and this is no exception. So, I'd like to thank my sister in law Gail and her sister Marcia for introducing me to this wonderful salad. I know that it will be in my salad "rotation" -and hopefully yours, too-for many years to come!!

Let me know if you make it and how it turns out-I promise you'll have people asking for the recipe!