"You're a Star" Salad with Honey-Dijon vinaigrette dressing

A winter promise I make is "eat more salads!" I love salads! And after the Holidays - the average person gains 12 pounds! -  I am wanting to slim it down some.  I buy the bags or boxes of  mixed baby spring greens.  Honestly, sometimes I just forget about them, in that box, tucked away in the dark crisper at the bottom of my fridge...the light blew out, and I have failed to find a new tiny bulb to fit. So, aside from needing an electronic buzzer strapped to my head to nicely "shock" my memory about the salad fixins' in the fridge, here is a beautiful salad I made the other night.   

I had purchased rocket greens - or arugula, along with fresh herbs, so this salad also had chopped parsley and cilantro in with the spring greens.  I'd had dinner at a vegetarian couples' home in California a couple years back, and aside from their meals always having been incredibly delicious over the many years, this salad contained fresh, raw organic beets. As well as mango! And the husband- who does all of the cooking - makes the best balsamic vinaigrette, as well.  I have made this vinaigrette with white balsamic vinegar, which I love, but you can use regular dark balsamic, too.

In addition to herbs, baby greens, and raw beets, I added Belgian endive (to create the "star" points), seedless English cucumber slices, carrot shavings, chopped celery, a wine-red new tomato, called Kumato...they are almost a bronze-brown, come to think of it.

  It was topped with sliced green onion and a small handful of chopped walnuts.  Here is a guide for making a Honey-Dijon vinaigrette:

White Balsamic & Honey Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup (or less, to taste) white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1-2 teaspoons honey

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper  

Place all ingredients in a screw-top jar or mason jar, cover tightly and shake all ingredients until well blended, and oil has emulsified.  Or, you can whisk all in a bowl until well blended. Use immediately. Store any leftover in the fridge, but bring it to room temperature and shake again, to re-mix the oil and other ingredients properly.

For your on-line shopping convenience, below I have included a few ingredients used in this salad, such as the white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard and honey. (where prices look very high, it is usually for more than one of the item, or bulk packaging)