Strawberry Salad

Disclaimer - if you've followed any of my recipes you know that I'm not an exact measurer, they all tend to be a handful of this and a dash of that.  I tend to add more of the items my family likes and less of those they don't.

Salad
1 bag mixed greens (I use either spinach or a spring mix)
Craisins (about a handful – more or less depending on how much you like them)
1 can mandarin oranges (size of can depends on how much you like them)
Strawberries – about 5 to 7 nice size ones sliced
Pecans (optional) – handful (I leave these out since my family isn’t bit on nuts)
Shredded Cheese (optional) – handful of whatever cheese your family likes. The person who gave me this recipe used parmesan or Monterey, I think that a bleu cheese would be good also but I tend to leave the cheese out

Dressing

¾ cup sugar
½ cup oil (vegetable, olive, canola – whatever your family preference)
½ cup red wine vinegar
1-2 gloves garlic (depends on size of cloves and how much you like garlic)
Sprinkle of paprika
Salt and pepper

Option:  Grilled Chicken

Mix dressing together and pour over salad right before serving

Typically I serve this as a side salad but for a quick meal I'll throw grilled chicken on top and serve it to the family as the main meal. 

The salad and the dressing can be made ahead of time and left to sit in the refrigerator for up to a couple of hours by themselves. Do not add the dressing until you are ready to serve.

I hope your family enjoys this salad as much as mine does.  If you try it out I'd love to hear what you think about it.

You might also enjoy:

Tuscan Chicken Stew
Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake
Banana Bread