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My Go-To Salad Recipe: Tossed Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

Poppyseed Salad

This salad is one of my go-to recipes, meaning I’ve made it lots of times and it has gotten enthusiastic thumbs up from family and friends.

I first had it at a bridal shower. I loved it and the people eating around me loved it, so I shamelessly tracked down the hostess to ask for the recipe, and she had it in my hot little hands before I even left the shower. It’s been one of my regular recipes ever since.

Here’s the recipe as it was given to me:

Poppy Seed Salad

  • Begin with 6 cups of the salad greens of your choice

Combine with your choice of:

  • 1 cup nuts
  • 1 cup sliced or diced fruit
  • 1 cup cubed cheese

Toss with the following dressing:

  • 1. c. salad oil
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 t. onion powder
  • 1/3 c. white wine vinegar
  • 1 dash salt
  • 1 t. prepared mustard
  • 2 T. poppy seeds

Having now made this dozens of times, here are my notes:

I usually use a combination of romaine and spinach for the greens.

The cheese/fruit/nut combination that the hostess used at the shower was swiss/strawberries/cashews, and that remains my favorite. But I’ve also used various combinations of Monterey Jack, Provalone, apples, dried cherries, pecans, almonds, and walnuts in this salad.

Here are a couple of other suggestions of combinations given to me by the hostess:

  • 1 c. pecans, 1 c. raspberries, 1 c. cubed brie
  • 1 c. walnuts, 1 c. diced, red apples, 1 c. havarti (great for fall!)

I’ve used both canola oil and this light olive oil to make the dressing. And I sometimes substitute white balsamic vinegar for the white wine vinegar.

We’ve liked it all.

Finally, this recipe makes a lot of dressing. I think the dressing part of the recipe can easily be cut in half, but your mileage may vary.

P.S. Another go-to recipe: Potato-stuffed Bell Peppers

5 Comments

  1. Julie, this sounds like a great combination of flavors! I recently made something similar with greens, apples, dried cherries, pecans and blue cheese for a luncheon. I added some slices of grilled chicken that worked really well. The dressing combines oil, Dijon mustard, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. I love those kinds of salads. I’m copying your recipe to try…many thanks!

    1. That sounds equally delicious, Jillian. Great idea to add the chicken. A great summer meal.

  2. Made the salad last night. The dressing is delicious! I used walnuts, havarti and apples.

    1. So glad to hear you liked it, Sherri! That combo sounds delicious. What did you think about the quantity of dressing?

  3. This sounds delicious! I’m going to give it a try. 🙂

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