Decompressing from Vacation

After a week of non stop fun and eating out (That's what you do on vacation, right?) we wanted something light for dinner last night. Not to mention we really didn't want to cook in a hot kitchen with the temperature as hot as it is here. So, I found the perfect salad at The Sister's Cafe, but I adapted it to our liking. It really was so good. James will only get excited about a handful of salads, but he did enjoy this one. Next time, I think we will try it with Raspberry Vinaigrette.

Citrus Salad Toss

Romaine or spring mix
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 large can mandarin oranges, drained and juice reserved
1 pt. strawberries, cut up
pecans
1/2 cup Craisins

Dressing:
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup lime juice
2 T orange juice
2 T sugar
juice reserved from the oranges

For pecans, mix together 1 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Soak pecans in water/sugar mixture for about 15 minutes. Drain the pecans and place them on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Mix all dressing ingredients and let sit while pecans are in the oven so the flavors can blend.

Combine all salad ingredients in a salad bowl. Spoon desired amount of dressing over salad so that you are careful not to over soak your salad.

Reserved dressing will keep in the refrigerator. Cover in an airtight container.