When it comes to springtime cooking, Sue Blakeslee, member of the Southwestern Indiana Master Gardener Association, digs to her family roots for inspiration on recipes, like her fresh and easy spring romaine salad with poppy seed dressing.
Combining her mother’s passion in the kitchen with her father’s green thumb, Blakeslee says her favorite recipes utilize the fresh fruits and vegetables growing in her own backyard. She paired this sweet twist on a traditional spring salad with a juicy steak from Aldi, a glass of white wine, and crunchy bread on the side.
“My favorite thing about the recipe was actually the dried cranberries,” she says. “The cranberries really give this a punch of springtime.”
For those who like to add their own twists to recipes, Blakeslee recommends red onions or freshly grown radishes as additions to make the poppy seed dressing pop.
Salad Ingredients:
• 2 heads romaine lettuce, torn in pieces
• 1 small red onion, chopped (optional)
• 1 pint strawberries or seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds
Dressing Ingredients:
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 3/4 cup real mayonnaise
Mix all dressing ingredients well. Then, blend salad fixings together, except toasted almonds, and drizzle dressing over top. Add almonds.
