Apple-Pear Salad

Dressing

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 to 6 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup light olive oil

1 tablespoon poppyseeds

2 pears, peeled and diced

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced

1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup cashew halves

Combine dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Add pears and apples to keep from browning; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine remaining salad ingredients. When ready to serve, pour dressing over top and toss until completely covered. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

TIP: I do lots of variations of this recipe. For example, sometimes I just grab a bag of the already prepared romaine lettuce and combine it with a bag of spring mix salad. It's a good combo! Also, I don't usually peel the fruit just because it saves me time, and I think the color looks pretty. Finally, I like to try different cheeses (my obsession again!), so in the photo above, I used a nice extra sharp white cheddar that I cut into cubes. It was so yummy! Another favorite of mine in this salad is bacon . . .