Toasted Walnut Salad With Mandarin Oranges and Gorgonzola Cheese

Dawn's Note:

I had this salad at one of my favorite restaurants. I couldn't figure out the secret until I toasted the walnuts. This salad blends all the flavors together well, it is a great side to just about anything. Easy to put together and chill while you cook other things. If you don't have raspberry vinaigrette, try with Five Star House Salad Dressing.

• Total Time: 19 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 4 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 (5 ounce) bag mixed baby lettuces and spring greens (baby greens)
• 2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin orange segments (drained)
• 1 cup walnut pieces
• 4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola or 4 ounces blue cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter
• raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan.
2. Stir in walnut pieces and coat with butter.
3. Stir for 4 minutes and remove from pan and set aside.
4. Allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Toss greens, mandarin orange segments and crumbled cheese.
6. Toss with toasted walnuts and serve with raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing.

Reviews

[Helen's Home Cooking/2 Chefs On The Go]

I can't wait to try this for one of my clients. Helen

[Dmar 311]

delicious and the other reviewer was right, the five star house salad dressing goes great with this. thanks!

[GaylaJ]

This is a delicious salad. I've made it twice now--once with romaine, green-leaf and butter lettuces topped with Recipe #23478, and another time with baby spinach and baby spring mix topped with Raspberry Dressing (Vinaigrette), No Added Sugar. I usually toast nuts dry, either in a skillet or in the oven, and toasting the walnuts in butter was a nice touch. I love mandarin oranges, and I like that this salad has a lot of them. :) Both times I've made it, I was only making it to serve two, so I pretty well just eyeballed ingredient amounts. Great salad--thanks for posting!