Rainbow Chopped Salad

One of my Christmas presents was a subscription to Bon Appetite magazine. I cannot tell you how amazing this gift has been. Each month I eagerly await the arrival of next month's issue and then I spend undue amounts of time flipping through the pages and marking each recipe that I want to try. February's issue was no different - packed full of tasty meal ideas and the rainbow chopped salad was surely one of them.

My husband and I are moving to North Carolina in June, and we spent this past weekend looking for a place to live. After four consecutive nights of eating out (which was all delicious I might add), I decided that we were both desperately in need of some veggies. The only adjustment I made to this salad was substituting the hazelnuts for slivered almonds and it was delicious.This colorful salad is packed with fruit, nuts and cabbage and it's almost too gorgeous to eat...but we managed to anyway!

Adapted from February 2011 Bon Appetit

You Will Need for the Salad:

• 6 cups chopped romaine hearts
• 4 cups sliced red cabbage
• 1 large Fuji apple, halved, cored, diced
• 1 Asian pear, halved, cored, diced
• 1 mango, peeled, diced, or 2 Fuyu persimmons, peeled, seeded, diced
• 3/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (optional, but I used it and highly recommend)

You Will Need for the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped shallot
• 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Here We Go for the Dressing:

• Whisk vinegar, shallot, and honey in small bowl to blend
• Gradually whisk in oil and season dressing to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper

Here We Go for the Salad:

• Combine romaine and next 6 ingredients in very large bowl; toss to blend. Add dressing and toss to coat
• Divide salad among plates. Sprinkle with blue cheese, if desired, and serve

Serves 8
Happy Feasting!

Back to Basics: Turkey, Apple & Cheddar Cheese Sandwich

I am definitely a sandwich fan. When I go to a restaurant for lunch or I'm eating lunch at my desk, it is safe to assume that I am consuming some type of sandwich. Tuna or chicken salad, turkey, ham, chicken or even steak - I love them all! My latest creation is that of turkey, sharp cheddar and Fuji apple and the flavors just plain work. The sweet apple and sharp cheddar cheese create the perfect bite. Add a little turkey and you've got yourself quite the tasty lunch (or dinner)!

You Will Need:

• 2 slices wheat bread
• 5-6 apple slices, sliced very thin (I used Fuji)
• 1 slice of sharp cheddar cheese
• 3-4 slices of deli turkey (I used honey turkey)
• 1 tsp Dijon or honey mustard

Here We Go:

• Using knife, spread mustard on both sides of bread
• Place turkey slices on one side of bread
• Place sliced apples on top of the turkey
• Place 1 slice of cheese on other half of bread
• Place in toaster oven until cheese bubbles and bread is toasted to desired darkness

Serves 1
Happy Feasting!