The Ravishing Reds Salad With Red Hots Dressing

Montana Heart Song's Note:

Radicchio, red leaf lettuce, radishes, red onion rings, red pimento stuffed olives and red sweet peppers make a nice salad ring on a platter. This is a meatless salad but option for other ingredients listed.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

Salad

• 1 head radicchio , chopped
• 3 -4 cups red leaf lettuce , torn
• 1 red onion , sliced in rings
• 1 sweet red peppers, cored, seeded, diced or 1 red pepper , cut into thin rings
• 10 red radishes , thinly sliced
• 10 -15 red pimento stuffed olives
• 1 ½ cups monterey jack pepper cheese , small cubes
• ½ cup beet , cooked and julienne cut (optional)
• ½ cup minced cooked bacon (optional)

Salad Dressing

• ½ cup red-hot candies
• 1⁄3; cup water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• ½ teaspoon sweet basil
• 3 (1 g) packets Splenda sugar substitute or 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Place radicchio in the center of the platter.
2. Ring with the red leaf lettuce.
3. Place the red onion rings on top of red leaf lettuce.
4. Then place red sweet pepper rings on the edge of the platter or if diced sprinkled on top of the red onion rings.
5. Place sliced radishes, ringing the edge of the radicchio that is in the center.
6. Place the other sliced radishes scattered on the outer ring of salad.
7. Sprinkle the red pimento stuffed green olives at will on the salad.
8. Place the pepper jack cheese in a separate small bowl to be passed as the salad is dished.(Pepper Jack Cheese has hot red pepper in it).
9. You can serve the optional ingredients in separate bowls to be passed also if desired.
10. Dressing:.
11. In medium saucepan, add red hots or any hot red candies and water on low to medium heat. Stir until dissolved.
12. Add honey and stir until dissolved.
13. Set off heat. Add evaporated milk, sweet basil, Splenda or white sugar. Whisk. Set aside.
14. Add oil and vinegar in a separate bowl. Whisk.
15. Note: You may use a few shakes of rice vinegar instead of white vinegar.
16. Right before serving combine the two mixtures to make the dressing.
17. Refrigerate dressing if made ahead, shake before serving.
18. This salad can be made ahead, covered and chilled before serving.